It wasn’t a surprise to see the Oakland Raiders sign linebacker Vontaze Burfict when he was released by the Bengals. The Raiders desperately needed linebacker help and given that his former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther was in Oakland, the fit just made too much sense.

While the signing was the butt of many jokes this offseason, it’s already proving to be more valuable than anyone could have imagined. Burfict is taking a leadership role, helping some of the young players understand Guenther’s defense.

One player who has been impressed with Burfict is second-year defensive tackle, Maurice Hurst. In a recent interview with NBC Sport’s Scott Blair, Hurst talked about the impact Burfict is already having on defense:

“He has complete understanding, so there’s certain things that he knows that are going to occur during the course of a season, so he’s able to adjust it, adjust us, tell us we can play a backside gap on this, he’ll cover us, or whatever,” Hurst said. “He’s real easy to talk to and just a great teammate overall.”

Burfict has been known throughout his career as a dirty player, but he’s never been cast as a “bad teammate.” His knowledge of Guenther’s defense and the ability to connect with the younger players on defense is like having another coach on the field.

While it’s yet to be seen just how much Burfict has left in the tank, he’s already proving to be a worthwhile signing due to his leadership. If Guenther can get Burfict to return to being the player we saw earlier in his career, the Raiders might have stolen one of the best linebackers in the league during free agency.