As the Cincinnati Bengals are about to kick off Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, their inactives list paints a rather ominous bigger-picture view for some of their key acquisitions.
I touched on this notion a little bit yesterday in writing about the Patriots' trade of second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk only a little more than a season after they drafted him. Funnily enough, The Athletic's Dianna Russini posted an insider's deep dive Sunday morning on a variety of topics, with an emphasis on how the draft is as vital as ever to nail.
Here's a quote from an NFC GM in Russini's piece:
"It has never been more important to draft well. Teams are doubling down on developing and locking up their own talent, and the quick fix on the free-agent market? It’s disappearing fast."
Well wouldn't you know it, this pertains so much to the Bengals' list of Week 2 inactives.
3rd-round picks Jermaine Burton, McKinnley Jackson inactive for second straight week
Cue the meme of the animated dog sitting in the burning room, insisting everything is fine when it comes to wide receiver Jermaine Burton and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson. they were healthy scratches Week 1, and retained that unsavory status on Sunday.
#Bengals inactives:
CB Marco Wilson
WR Jermaine Burton
TE Cam Grandy
DT McKinnley Jackson
DT Howard Cross III
All five were inactive last week. Center Matt Lee active this week with Lucas Patrick (backup C) on IR.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 14, 2025
Not that this was some big shock revelation, but it just underscores the disappointing nature of how the Bengals tend to lack behind the rest of the league's would-be Super Bowl contenders.
Although Cincinnati's 2025 draft class is showing immense promise already, there are no fewer than seven totally insignificant contributors from the 2024 group of 10 picks. That includes Day 2 draftees Burton and Jackson, who at the very least could've provided critical depth at key positions. Instead, they're riding the pine in favor of less-heralded or just-added players.
Jackson was a polarizing pick from the outset of his NFL career. I create an annual big board of my top 100 NFL Draft prospects, and he was nowhere to be found. The Bengals drafted Jackson 97th overall. PFF listed him as the 205th-ranked overall prospect in 2024.
Character concerns marred Burton and muddied his evaluation coming out of Alabama. It's never been a question of talent with him, just whether he could keep his head on straight. For somebody with Burton's long speed, ball skills, and upside, there's no excuse for him to be any team's WR6 in Year 2 — even in a wide receiver corps as loaded as one starring Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Bengals are more active buyers in free agency in recent years, yet that doesn't mean they can keep whiffing on premium draft picks.
Perhaps the likes of Shemar Stewart, Demetrius Knight Jr., and Dylan Fairchild will help redeem some of the less-than-stellar drafting efforts of late. At the same time, Cincinnati could aid the process via an aggressive expansion of the scouting department.
I'm not ready to 100% write off Jackson or Burton this soon. Having said that, their spots on the Bengals' Week 2 inactives list hammers home the notion that it's getting late early for them.
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