Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict eligible to play Thursday

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict rejoined the team on Monday after serving a league-mandated three-game suspension for repeated violations of safety-related playing rules.

Burfict is eligible to play in Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins for Cincinnati (1-2), which is coming off back-to-back losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos.

The Bengals have a roster exemption for Burfict and do not have to make a decision on his playing status until Thursday, but the fifth-year linebacker said he is ready for game action, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"He'll be one of our 11 players at some point, probably likely this football game," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "But we'll see. We'll try to determine that over the next four days and make that decision come Thursday."

Burfict has drawn 16 personal-foul penalties during his five NFL seasons and was suspended in the wake of his actions in last season's playoff game against bitter rival Pittsburgh. The most egregious violation was a hit to the helmet of Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

In 2015, Burfict was fined $50,000 for a hit on Baltimore Ravens tight end Maxx Williams and $70,000 for three incidents in a regular-season contest with the Steelers.

"It feels good," Burfict said Monday. "It feels good to be back here with my teammates and obviously putting out the game plan."

Burfict ranked fourth on the team with 74 tackles along with one sack while appearing in only 10 games in 2015 after coming off a knee injury he sustained the previous season. He recorded 171 tackles in 2013 and made the Pro Bowl.

Burfict, who was not drafted coming out of Arizona State due to character concerns, has two years remaining on a three-year contraction extension he signed in August 2014.