CINCINNATI -- Although Bengals Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been rehabbing his left knee all preseason, uncertainty over his status still dominates conversations among the team's defensive coaches.
Linebackers coach Matt Burke said Monday the current discussions surrounding Burfict are "interesting." The Bengals this week are in the process of paring down roster spots. As they do, they keep wondering where Burfict factors into the mix, if at all.
"The first month or so of camp, I was just like, 'He's not a factor.' It's just not a part of my thought process," Burke said. "Now as we get closer and we have to make a hard decision on him in the next week. It's tough."
Burfict hurt his knee last October while trying to shed a block in a win over Baltimore. He finished that game but was promptly shelved to undergo surgery to clean up loose cartilage. That surgery didn't fix the issue, and he was sidelined the rest of the year before having microfracture surgery in January. Burfict had hoped to be back to practice by the middle of the preseason.
As the final week of the preseason begins, he has yet to get onto the field.
Like every other team, the Bengals will whittle their roster down to 53 by Saturday. After cutting seven players Monday morning, they still have 17 roster spots to slice in the next five days. Burfict's injury status could affect one or two of those positions.
"Now as we get closer to having to make decisions, then now [the questions] start creeping in a little more," Burke said. "'Hey, do we do this? Can we keep this guy if we don't do this? Where is Burfict? Is he on the roster? Is he PUP if he's not part of this mix?'"
The in-season physically unable to perform list remains a possibility for Burfict depending upon how his rehab process goes in the next couple of weeks. He currently is on the active/PUP list that allows him to return to preseason practices at any point. Also on the table is the injured reserve with a designation to return. If he makes it on that list, he would miss the first eight games of the season.
Bengals roster math may as well be quantum physics as long as the uncertainty about Burfict exists.
"That's another issue," Burke said. "Is he a [No.] 6 [linebacker] or a 7? Do you keep more than that? Do you keep an extra guy up because of him? Is he not a factor for the first six weeks or eight weeks or what? There's so much stuff going on right now. It's interesting."
Burfict's injury-plagued 2014 season came after he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013, and two years after he was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent. Last August, he signed a four-year contract extension that paid him about $20 million.