NFL teams
Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Surgeon hopeful Burfict will be back

NFL, Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI -- Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is reportedly recovering from microfracture surgery, a serious procedure performed on knees that have suffered cartilage damage.

The surgeon who operated on Burfict told NFL Network that he is hopeful the linebacker will be at full strength in time for training camp.

"I don't see any reason, if this thing heals like we want and we think it will, why he won't be back like he was," Dr. Neal ElAttrache told NFL Network. "Microfracture has a bad connotation, but there are plenty of guys who have come back and been able to play like before. But it's not really news when it works out."

Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is among players to have most recently undergone the surgery that involves drilling into bone in hopes of developing new cartilage.

There had been concern among some around the team late in the season that microfracture surgery could be an option for Burfict's apparently balky left knee. He originally underwent arthroscopic surgery back in October after his leg was struck while he was trying to shed a block against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed three plays after the first-quarter injury but came back and finished the drive, factoring on two key goal-line stops that preceded a failed fourth-down conversion for the Ravens.

Burfict finished the game but underwent the arthroscopic surgery days later. The Bengals had hoped he would return within the next three weeks. But he was unable to despite testing his leg off to the side in practices and before games. ElAttrache said a blister formed on the outside of the knee that caused constant swelling that eventually wore the cartilage down.

It was after he hobbled through a ladder drill before a late-November game at Tampa Bay that the Bengals shut Burfict down and placed him on season-ending injured reserve.

Coach Marvin Lewis told reporters at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, last week that Burfict had another surgery, but he didn't reveal the nature of it.

Since Burfict's knee appears in good shape structurally, his healing should be accelerated, ElAttrache told NFL Network. The doctor added that Burfict will be on crutches for six weeks before reconditioning his knee. He'll be able to run after three months. It's possible he could be ready in time for the Bengals' minicamp that would be in May, but the goal for now is to just make sure he's ready for training camp in July.

Burfict played in five games this past season but finished only two of them because of a rash of injuries. In addition to the knee problems, he had trouble staying on the field early in the season thanks to issues involving his head and neck.

In August, he signed a contract extension that will pay him $20.5 million through 2017. It was a reward for the way the former undrafted free agent led the league in tackles and made it to the Pro Bowl just two seasons into his career.

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