Eight games into his rookie season, Jermaine Burton has played 49 snaps and caught two passes. But the Cincinnati Bengals foresee a bigger second half of the 2024 NFL season for the former Alabama wide receiver.

“You don’t have to teach him to separate,” Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said on Wednesday. “He knows how to do that. You have to teach him how to do it within the structure of the offense, and that’s the process that every rookie goes through. He’s smart enough and willing to learn, and he’ll get to that point, and he’s going to be a really good player. I’m excited to be a part of it. …

“You can just go and watch his route tape and see the separation, see the little things that he does that not everybody does to get open against man coverage – the eyes, the suddenness, the hand-fighting. He does things that you can’t really teach, and so that’s exciting for us.”

In Sunday’s 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Burton played a career-high 24 offensive snaps and had his second reception, which went for a 41-yard gain.

Burrow said now it’s time for Burton to “take the next step.”

“He played great last week,” Burrow said. “That was awesome to see. His demeanor has been great. He wants to get better. He wants to improve. It’s exciting to see him be a part of. I think he will take the next step with his knowledge of the game plan, his knowledge of the defense, his knowledge of the offense, the minute details of each route. I think Jermaine’s going to be a really good player.”

Burton got the opportunity to play more because a quadriceps injury kept starting wide receiver Tee Higgins on the sideline. Higgins did not practice this week, and his playing status for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders is listed as doubtful.

“The conversations that we’ve had about his limited opportunities have been very positive,” Burrow said about Burton. “I know he’s been itching for more opportunities, which with the guys that we have have been tough. But an opportunity has presented itself for him, and he’s taken advantage of it. And so now it’s my job, it’s coach’s job and his job as well to continue to find roles for him, find opportunities where we can get him the ball and continue to see what he can do because I think he’s got explosiveness, and he’s got ability that we need to be able to harness and find a role for.”

Cincinnati selected Burton in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 26 after he caught 39 passes for 798 yards and eight touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in 2023.

Burton’s first reception came in his second game. It went for 47 yards in a 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 15.

“He can separate, and he can catch the football,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said on Wednesday. “That go route he ran (on Sunday) was a nice job. He won quickly and got over the top and was able to stack them and secure for a big play. It gave us a lot of momentum at that point. It was a second-and-10, so that was a big play in that drive.

“And so again, his opportunities will continue to increase. I like where Jermaine’s heading. We got confidence in him. And again, I think he’s getting more comfortable every single week and trying to make the most of his opportunities, and so I’m excited to see where he goes.”

The Bengals and Raiders kick off at noon CST Sunday at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Las Vegas has lost its past four games to drop to 2-6. The Bengals have a 3-5 record.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.