Getty Images
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert went down with a gruesome elbow injury in 2014 against the Baltimore Ravens that ended his season. This came after having already injured his shoulder in OTAs last year, which set him back from the start.
Luckily for the Bengals, Jermaine Gresham was there to pick up the slack along with Ryan Hewitt who stepped up in a big way. This year, with Gresham no longer a member of the Bengals and Hewitt most likely being used more as an H-back, it is imperative for Eifert to enter the season 100 percent healthy. They just can’t fully depend on rookies Tyler Kroft and C.J. Ozumah to be ready to play at an NFL-efficient level by the start of the season.
The Bengals opened up their OTAs on Tuesday and Eifert participated fully, which is a great sign right off the bat. He is working to regain his strength, having lost 15 pounds of muscle while on injured reserve last year. “It’s just hard when you’re starting over physically”, he told Cincinnati.com earlier this month.
Fortunately for both Eifert and the Bengals, his elbow was medically cleared three weeks ago, and just prior to the start of OTAs his shoulder was cleared as well. So he suited up on Tuesday and participated in many seven-on-seven drills. They are taking it day-by-day now and gradually easing Eifert back into things, but I have no doubt he will be good to go by Sept. 13, when the Bengals travel to take on the Oakland Raiders in Week 1.
Having Eifert back out on the field is something Bengals fans should be very excited about. I foresee the former 2013 first-rounder having breakout year in 2015 and becoming a premier tight end in the NFL.
