Bengals' Zac Taylor provides blunt answer regarding rookie's surprising role in second preseason game

Cincinnati Bengals fans wanted to see more Jermaine Burton this week, and they got their wish.

Burton, the team's third-round pick from this year's NFL Draft, not only saw the field in the first half unlike last Saturday, he was returning punts and kickoffs as well. He returned two kickoffs for 58 yards (both returns were 29 yards) and two punts for seven yards.

Is this a taste of what to expect from Burton going forward? Head coach Zac Taylor had a more level-headed rationale.

"It's the preseason, you gotta be able to evaluate everybody," Taylor said of Burton's special teams usage.

The timing of Burton's new role isn't much of a coincidence. Cincinnati lost kickoff returner Chris Evans to a torn patellar tendon on Thursday during the team's joint practice against the Chicago Bears.

With snaps up for grabs at a position that's gained importance thanks to the new kickoff format, Burton was given a chance to see what he could do. Taylor said the 22-year old rookie was given reps prior to game day there as well.

"He's gotten work this week and then we got him in the game," Taylor said.

Along with Evans being out, wide receiver Charlie Jones was also not playing Saturday a week after he suffered his own knee injury . Jones is also inline to return kickoffs this year, so Burton was needed even more this week to take on that role.

Burton is already one of the Bengals' most explosive athletes , and is still towards the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart. He did see the field with the second-string offense Saturday afternoon, an improvement over when he entered the game last week, but there may not be many chances for him to get snaps early in the regular season.

Returning kickoffs can be a way to compensate for that, and guarantee that the ball is in his hands.

It may not be a role Burton will have for long, but Taylor is right about one thing: this is the time to see what young players can do when called upon.

Related: Bengals rookie WR Jermaine Burton and Ja'Marr Chase go back long before they became NFL teammates