Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson detest when running back Rex Burkhead is called a wide receiver. Wide receivers coach James Urban made it easy on him.
“When they ask what you are,” Urban told Burkhead, “tell them you’re a football player.”
He is all of that and during Friday night’s workout on the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields he sure looked more like a wide receiver. With starting wide receiver Marvin Jones (hamstring) sitting out indefinitely, Burkhead has eased into the slot. He’s become a frequent target for quarterback Andy Dalton rather than last season’s gimmick that turned out be a brilliant response to an injury-riddled Wild Card Game.