Cincinnati Bengals free agency 2018: Top 5 targets

When he’s healthy, tight end Tyler Eifert is one of the better tight ends in the NFL. The problem is that he has missed the bulk of three of his five NFL seasons out of Notre Dame with the Bengals. Eifert was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2013, so they were able to use the fifth-year option on him in 2017. He managed just two games in 2017.

Eifert may have signed a four-year, $8,256,001 contract as a rookie with a $4,782,000 base salary in 2017. However, his injury-riddled past will be used against him in his free agency. Cincinnati could move on from him this offseason, but could get him at a discount when compared to other teams.

Frankly, Eifert hasn’t been the same player since he hurt himself in the Pro Bowl after the 2015 NFL season. One could argue that the Bengals offense hasn’t been the same since he has succumbed to injuries in the last two years. Eifert has missed 24 of the Bengals last 48 games from 2014 to 2017.

At 27 years old, Eifert isn’t a kid anymore. That being said, he could be worth a one-year deal to prove his worth to the team. He’s not a candidate to be franchise tagged by any means, but the Bengals may want one more year to see if there is anything left in the tank for Eifert before finally moving on.