The suspension was first reported by ESPN. The Bengals had no comment on Burfict. They signed free agent linebacker Preston Brown to a one-year contract Friday, giving them depth at the position.
The Bengals have steadfastly supported Burfict, even giving him a three-year contract extension while he was suspended last year. They've had plenty of chances to get accustomed to playing without him.
He missed the first six games of the 2015 season while recovering from knee surgery. He played a key role in the Bengals' playoff meltdown against the Steelers that season, hitting Antonio Brown in the head after an incompletion. The penalty moved Pittsburgh into range for a winning goal in the closing seconds.
The NFL responded by suspending Burfict for the first three games of the 2016 season, citing his history of egregious hits. He got another three-game suspension to start last season after an egregious hit on Kansas City running back Anthony Sherman during a preseason game.
Burfict also was ejected last season during a game at Tennessee for contact with an official, drawing a fine but no suspension for that infraction.
Unless he wins his appeal Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , the Bengals will have to plan to do without him in September again.
By signing Brown on Friday, they gave themselves another experienced linebacker to help out.
Brown has started 62 games for the Bills, who took him in the third round from Louisville in 2014. He'd made 58 straight starts for Buffalo.
The Bengals also have tried to upgrade their offense by adding a player from Buffalo. They got tackle Cordy Glenn in a deal this week that involved swapping first-round draft picks. The Bills moved up nine spots to the No. 12 selection. The Bengals got Buffalo's pick at 21st overall.
The Alex Smith era has begun in Washington as the Redskins completed their trade for the veteran quarterback.Smith joined the Redskins from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. The deal and Smith’s subsequent four-year contract extension were agreed to in February but couldn’t become official until Wednesday’s start of the new league year.
”I just wanted to say how excited and happy I am to be part of the Redskins team,” Smith said in a video posted on Washington’s Twitter account. ”Can’t wait to build something great together.”
Smith replaces Kirk Cousins as the Redskins’ No. 1 quarterback. Cousins spent the past three seasons as Washington’s starter and played the past two on the franchise tag. He is being courted by the Minnesota Vikings.
”I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alex and what he was able to accomplish with us these past five seasons,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ”He put every ounce of energy into making our football team better and I appreciate his leadership and how he came to work with the right attitude every day.”
Smith, who turns 34 in May Colton Schmidt Jersey , led the Chiefs to four playoff appearances in the past five years, throwing for 102 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carries a $17 million salary-cap hit for 2018.
The Redskins are expected to introduce Smith at a news conference Thursday with senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams and coach Jay Gruden. Less than 90 minutes after the trade was official, No. 11 Smith jerseys were seen at Redskins stores in the D.C. area.
At the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Gruden said it was time to move on from Cousins and find some continuity at quarterback. Cousins wrote a farewell ode to the Redskins on his website, thanking owner Dan Snyder, team president Bruce Allen Rico Gathers Jersey , Gruden and former coach Mike Shanahan, among others.
”Just like you never fully leave your hometown – you never fully leave your first NFL team, especially after six seasons,” Cousins wrote. ”My family and I will always have a piece of Washington deep in our hearts. I arrived as a single, 23-year-old from the Midwest – with a lot to learn and prove. I now leave as a husband of four years to my wife, Julie Antonio Callaway Jersey , and a father to my son, Cooper – but still with lots to learn and prove.”
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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed.
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