The Cincinnati Bengals made a new enemy as a result of their decision-making in the 2024 NFL Draft. Heading into the draft, the Bengals were in the market for a young wide receiver, and North Carolina product Devontez Walker thought that he might be relocating to Cincinnati after meeting with the Bengals more than any other team prior to the draft.
However, the Bengals ultimately opted to go in a different direction, as they picked wide receiver Jermaine Burton out of Alabama in the third round. This came as a surprise to Walker, who thought he would be Cincinnati’s receiver of choice. Instead, Walker was selected by the division-rival Ravens in the fourth round.
Now, Walker has a bit of a grudge against the team he thought he would be suiting up for as a rookie.
“I got a bone to pick with Cincy,” Walker said. “That’s where I thought I was going but they took another receiver at that spot… Cincinnati, that game is gonna get rough that game.”
The good news for Walker is that he won’t have to wait very long to get a shot at revenge. Since they’re both in the AFC North, the Bengals and Ravens play each other twice every season. The first meeting between the two teams in 2024 is scheduled for Week 5 (Oct.6) in Cincinnati, with the second matchup coming about a month later on Nov. 7 in Baltimore.
Walker will obviously be eager to show the Bengals that they made a mistake by passing on him, but it remains to be seen just how much he’ll actually play as a rookie, as he’ll have to earn his spot before he sees meaningful minutes on a team with championship aspirations.
The same could be said about Burton, who many fans in Cincinnati are extremely excited about. With Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins occupying the Bengals’ top two receiver spots, Burton will really have to imrpess his coaches early on in order to see the field.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see who has a better rookie campaign between Burton and Walker.
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