Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said before free agency started that he wanted to bring Tyler Eifert back, so he’ll likely be pleased with Thursday’s news regarding the tight end.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Eifert is remaining with the Bengals on a one-year deal.
Now that Eifert has secured a spot on the roster, the focus will shift to remaining healthy enough to make the most of it. Eifert has played just 10 games over the last two years thanks to a variety of injuries, including a back issue that led to surgery last year. Eifert said recently that “everything is fixed,” but any firm declaration on that front will wait until he’s actually doing things on a football field later in the year.
Eifert caught five touchdowns in eight 2016 games and had 13 in 13 games during the 2015 season, so it’s easy to see why the Bengals would roll the dice on his ability to stay in the lineup this year. If he can’t, it may be hard to convince anyone else to take the same bet in the future.