The Bengals have gone 24-12-1 in the regular season over the last four seasons when they have tight end Tyler Eifert in the lineup, which illustrates both how much he’s meant to the offense and how often he’s been out of the lineup.
The Bengals have played 64 regular season games in those seasons and Eifert has missed time each year because of injuries. Last year saw him miss eight games due to offseason ankle surgery and a back injury suffered as he was poised to return. The latter injury led to more surgery before the year was out.
Eifert doesn’t know if he’ll be cleared for the latter stages of the offseason program, but expects to be on the field for training camp and the preseason.
“I’m feeling good. I continue to get better. My back feels great,” Eifert said, via the team’s website. “I’ll be ready and healthy and strong and be ready to go by the time it’s go time. I’m close.”
Better health would be good for the Bengals and it would be good for Eifert, who is in the final year of his contract and could use a healthy season to use to boost his bottom line during negotiations on his next deal.