Bengals breakout player prediction from NFL analyst is wild
When one thinks of breakout players for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2025, common names come to mind.
Joseph Ossai could enjoy a breakout with a bigger role. Myles Murphy could start living up to that first-round potential. Dax Hill could soar at cornerback if he can stay healthy. The list goes on and on.
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Jermaine Burton, though, would be pretty far down the list.
RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs
Even so, while picking every team's breakout player next season, that's who Steve Palazzolo went with on "Check the Mic" recently.
To say it's bold would be an understatement. Earlier this year, Burton sounded like a guy just hanging on to a roster spot at all after a rookie season marred by the walkthrough incident and multiple reports of off-field hiccups.
That doesn't even cover the on-field aspect. In order to break out, Burton would have to carve out playing time for himself on a depth chart featuring Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That means beating at least Andrei Iosivas for snaps and Charlie Jones is back healthy as a primary returner on special teams.
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Which isn't to say Burton can't do it. The vibes around his name over the last month have been positive. But it's a big uphill battle. And given the makeup of the entire Bengals roster right now, they would probably benefit from one of those defensive guys (or more than one) being the big breakout player.
RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals breakout player prediction from NFL analyst is wild
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