Vontaze Burfict should flourish with the Oakland Raiders
By Brad Weiss
Vontaze Burfict was brought into the Oakland Raiders to help solidify the linebacker position, and the change of scenery will be good for him.
The Oakland Raiders made a big splash last offseason at the linebacker position, as they signed Tahir Whitehead away from the Detroit Lions. Though Whitehead started off slow, he ended up with 126 tackles, the second-highest total in his NFL career, and his third straight season with 100-plus stops.
This offseason, Oakland continued to make a concerted effort to bolster the linebacker group, bringing in two veterans in Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict. For Burfict, the chance to play for the Raiders is an opportunity to turn his career around, as he has been known more for his antics in getting suspended than being a legitimate NFL linebacker in recent years.
Luckily for Burfict, he will be reunited with his former defensive coordinator in Cincinnati, as he and Paul Guenther spent four years together with the Bengals. Coming into the league in 2012, Burfict racked up back-to-back 100 tackle seasons, including a monster 2013 campaign, where he made the Pro Bowl, and made 177 stops.
Since then, Burfict has not started more than 11 games in a season, and has put together only one other 100-tackle year. He has the talent to be an excellent middle linebacker on this defense in 2019, but he will have to keep his head on straight if he is going to reach his potential in his first season in Oakland.
Burfict is signed to only a one-year deal, so that should tell him something about where his career is headed. He is heading into his age-29 season, and if Guenther cannot get the best out of him, he may find himself out of the NFL sooner than later.
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The bottom line is, Burfict wore out his welcome in Cincinnati, as he became more of a headache than he was a productive player. In Oakland, he will get the chance to turn the page, and with a familiar defensive coordinator, and a head coach who is not going to put up with any nonsense, he should be in for his best season in years.