Vontaze Burfict, linebacker, Cincinnati Bengals
While Burfict himself has a reputation for being a dirty player on the field, that’s not necessarily going to limit his market should he enter free agency next March. The former Arizona State star has kept his nose clean off the field, and that’s likely the sole focus of teams looking to potentially add him.
On the field and in when it comes to production, Burfict continues to prove himself to be among the most-dynamic middle linebackers in the game. The 26-year-old former un-drafted free agent is coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him put up 101 tackles, eight passes defended, two interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
He flies to the ball in a sideline-to-sideline manner that reminds us of the Patrick Willis’ and Luke Kuechly’s of the world. Simply put, he’s among the top-20 defenders in the entire NFL.
The issue here for Burfict is reputation. Will he be dogged with more personal foul penalties in 2017? Can he keep his on-field passion while bottling up the anger that has led to issues in the past?
Remember, Burfict was considered a potential first-round pick coming out of college before he dealt with numerous issues with the Sun Devils. That’s not going to be lost on teams should the linebacker continue to struggle bottling his emotions. If Burfict is able to perform at a a Pro Bowl level while proving himself to be more mature, he’ll be in line for a huge payday come March of 2017.