Vontaze Burfict Activated by Bengals After Suspension: Latest Comments, Reaction

The Cincinnati Bengals have activated linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and he'll be on the roster for Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. 

Burfict, 26, was suspended for the first three games of the NFL season for "repeated violations of safety-related playing rules," according to a league press release. 

The plan is for Burfict to play limited snaps against the Dolphins, though "it's a loose plan," according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.

"Vontaze Burfict will play tonight," head coach Marvin Lewis told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Have to gauge how much, but he's raring to go."

He added: "We'd have to lock him in a trunk if he didn't play, so yeah, Vontaze will play tonight. He's ready to go."

The Bengals will be happy to have him back. Burfict has established himself as one of the game's better linebackers, accumulating 74 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in 10 games last season. He registered a combined 298 tackles in his first two seasons in the league, though injuries have limited him to just 15 regular-season games the past two seasons.

Without Burfict in the starting lineup, the Bengals have given up 109.3 rushing yards per game, tied for 18th in the NFL. The New York Jets torched them for 152 yards on the ground in Week 1, and the Steelers hit them for 124 rushing yards in Week 2, leading to questions about the front seven.

The Bengals did stifle Denver's running game, but the team will nonetheless hope that Burfict's return can patch up some of the holes exposed early in the season. Lewis, for his part, thinks he will.

"He raises the level of everyone in the huddle and on the team," the coach told SiriusXM NFL Radio.

He does, at least when he's on the field. As Kevin Patra of NFL.com noted: "Burfict's manic style of play fuels the Bengals defense. It's also what led to his three-game suspension. Hopefully, the 26-year-old tackling machine has learned to play with the same unhinged attitude but within the rules. Otherwise, more suspensions are sure to follow."

That's something the Bengals can't afford after their 1-2 start to the season.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.