PITTSBURGH – Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will miss Saturday’s key game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to the team, Burton was left behind in Cincinnati due to a coaching decision. The rookie has been the team’s primary kick returner over the last seven games.

It’s the latest misstep for the Alabama team’s third-round pick. Earlier this year, Burton had a good lead for a Week 9 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. With starting wide receiver Tee Higgins out for this contest, Burton was expected to play an important role in the game plan.

However, multiple sources told ESPN that Burton did not play after missing a walkthrough the day before the game. After that game, Taylor explained the reasons for the decision.

“Over the course of the week, people said a lot of positive things about him,” Taylor said Nov. 3. “Everything was right. And then late in the week… we just have to take care of business.” And so I can sit here and say that it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but given all the information we had, it was absolutely the right decision.

When the Bengals drafted Burton, Taylor was asked about concerns about the inclusion of the rookie, who transferred from Georgia to Alabama.

“Some of these guys coming out of these colleges certainly bring maturity with them, and that’s one of the things that he’s going to continue to grow with,” Taylor said last April.

In addition to the coach’s decision, Hamilton County court records show Burton is facing a civil lawsuit from his landlord and an eviction notice from his apartment, which is 0.1 miles from Paycor Stadium, where the Bengals practice and play.

Burton had received praise just last week. Higgins praised the rookie for cheering him up after a fumble against the Denver Broncos. Burton told Higgins to brush off the mistake and prepare for a possible game-winning touchdown. Higgins finally secured the walk-off score with a 30-24 overtime win.

In 14 games this season, Burton caught four passes for 107 yards. On special teams, he ranks 10th in the league with 29.1 yards per kickoff return.