The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers without one of their rookies.

According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, head coach Zac Taylor has made the decision that wide receiver Jermaine Burton will not travel with the team and will remain in Cincinnati.

This isn’t the first time the rookie has been surprisingly inactive. He also missed the team’s Week 8 game against the Eagles after reportedly missing a walkthrough. It’s not yet known why Taylor made this decision, and we may never really know.

However, it’s pretty clear at this point that Burton is who other teams feared he would be when they decided not to take the talented wideout in the draft.

While Burton has excelled on the pitch whenever he was given opportunities or due to injuries, he hasn’t earned more playing time. In fact, it has become less and less. He hasn’t been targeted in the passing game since Week 11, and outside of special teams, Burton hasn’t seen the field much.

The Bengals face another survival scenario away from home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s unfortunate that it’s necessary to leave a teammate behind when everyone should be focused on a playoff game.