Vontaze Burfict Injury: Bengals LB Suffered Concussion vs. Steelers

The injury-plagued career for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict continued Wednesday when he did not practice due to a concussion and a setback with his knee, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The linebacker was ruled out of Week 16's clash with the Houston Texans on Friday, per Jay Morrison of the Cox Media Group.  

Dehner Jr. noted the Bengals said the linebacker went through and passed the concussion tests before returning to Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Burfict self-reported the concussion this week.

Dehner Jr. added "It's obviously curious territory due to violence of hit, but an independent neurologist and team doc administered tests and Burfict passed."

Burfict has proven to be a dynamic talent when healthy, recording 177 total tackles, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown in 16 games during the 2013 season. 

The 26-year-old has been unable to stay on the field consistently since that time. Burfict appeared in five games in 2014 after having arthroscopic knee surgery. He played in 10 games last season after undergoing microfracture knee surgery in January 2015. 

In 2016, Burfict had been able to stay healthy before this setback. However, he was suspended for the first three games of the season, stemming from a helmet-to-helmet hit against Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in the AFC Wild Card Game. 

The Bengals are thin at linebacker without Burfict. Vincent Rey can play on the inside or outside, though head coach Marvin Lewis may want to keep him on the outside. Nick Vigil is a lightly used special teams player, and he is listed as Burfict's primary backup on the team's depth chart. 

Cincinnati has struggled to capitalize on its success from 2015. Burfict is a difference-making talent when he's healthy and focused, which the Bengals need back as quickly as possible if they want to salvage what's left of this season.