Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Justyn Ross

Thursday, January 30, 2:42 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was selected with the No. 80 overall pick (third round) in the 2024 NFL Draft after a strong final season at Alabama. However, the 23-year-old played sparingly in his rookie season and caught just four passes for 107 yards on 14 targets in 14 games. At the Senior Bowl this year, Bengals director of player personnel spoke on Burton's status with the organization. "He's done nothing, and he's going to have to start doing something quickly. We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he's had in the past, and we're going to continue to try to help him," Tobin said. "But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you're playing for, and he has to figure that out." Burton notably did not travel with the team for a must-win game against the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2024 campaign and seems to be falling out of favor with the coaching staff and front office quickly. The speedster could be at risk of being released or traded before the next regular season.

Wednesday, February 12, 8:45 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs signed wide receivers Justyn Ross, Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee, safety Deon Bush, tight end Baylor Cupp, defensive tackles Siaki Ika and Fabien Lovett, offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick, quarterback Chris Oladokun and cornerbacks Darius Rush and Eric Scott to Reserve/Futures deals on Tuesday. Ross and Thornton are the biggest names of the group. Ross, 25, spent the majority of the 2024 season on KC's practice squad and didn't catch his only target while being active for two regular-season games in Weeks 9 and 10. The former undrafted free agent out of Clemson caught six of 11 targets for 53 yards and no touchdowns in 10 games in his rookie season in 2023. Thornton, 24, was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 out of Baylor but was waived in November after catching four of eight targets for 47 yards in six games for New England.