The Cincinnati Bengals have garnered somewhat of a reputation for their willingness to take in some of the league’s shadiest characters. Players with various on-field and off-field issues have found their home with the orange and black stripes, but at some point even one of the more patient franchises is going to grow tired of having to babysit its players.
Currently suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict is played on borrowed time. His latest incident was a violation of the NFL’s performance enhancing drug policy which will keep him out of the first four games of the 2018 season. If he serves the full suspension he will have missed 10 games from suspensions since 2016.
Burfict has a decent chance of being cut or traded before the season begins, but even if he’s still on the roster the Bengals would be wise to look for a replacement. Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has yet to raise any off-field flags and he’s soaring up draft boards.
Vander Esch wasn’t a starter for his own team a year ago, now he’s the consensus top five linebacker prospect. Excellent in space, Vander Esch will could fill multiple roles for the Bengals even if Burfict stick around.