Bengals’ Tyler Eifert suffers setback, Week 5 status in doubt
Tyler Eifert was expected back this week, but now he has reportedly suffered a setback which puts his status in doubt.
Most reports had Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert making his return from offseason ankle surgery in Week 5. An encouraging sign came last week when he began practicing with the team, albeit on a limited basis. Now it seems Eifert’s status is in doubt after he was seen limping on Monday and missed practice Wednesday:
CIN TE Tyler Eifert suffered setback at practice this week, not practicing today, status now uncertain, sources tell @Kat_Terrell and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2016
Eifert suffered an ankle injury in the Pro Bowl which required offseason surgery. The Notre Dame product said in July that he won’t appear in another Pro Bowl because of the injury. The original timetable for his return was 4-6 weeks, which is still possible, but it’s a frustrating situation for the Bengals.
His absence has been felt greatly, as the team currently ranks dead last in the NFL in red zone efficiency. Maybe an even more telling statistic of the Bengals’ struggles? They lead the NFL in attempted field goals through four weeks.
Eifert was second on the team last year in red zone targets behind only A.J. Green. Once you factor in the losses of Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones in the offseason, you realize the Bengals miss him even more. Filling in have been tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Kroft who have played respectably, but don’t have the talent of Eifert.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter updated Eifert’s status on Wednesday afternoon, saying that it may not be the ankle that has set him back:
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert did not reinjure his ankle, per team source. Suffered different injury now being evaluated.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2016
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Whatever the new injury is, the Bengals will hope it’s not something that will extend his already lengthy absence. Eifert’s importance to his team cannot be overvalued as Andy Dalton is missing one of his favorite targets. They will need him back as soon as possible if they want to win a very competitive AFC North.