Tight end Tyler Eifert has sat out the last three Bengals games with a back injury and he’s reportedly mulling a course of action that would keep him out for a lot longer.
Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN report that Eifert is currently in Los Angeles meeting with doctors to decide if he should have back surgery. The operation, which would be Eifert’s third, would bring an end to his season.
Eifert has been a productive receiver when healthy, but he’ll end the year having missed 22 games over the last two years and 41 games over the course of his five-year NFL career if he does miss the rest of 2017. That’s made things tough from a planning standpoint for the Bengals and it will leave Eifert without much hope of landing more than a one-year deal when he hits free agency next spring.
Tyler Kroft has stepped into the lead tight end role with Eifert injured and has 14 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns so far this season.