Bengals coach Marvin Lewis shared some news about his plans for 2017 on Thursday morning and he also gave an update on the health of one of his players.
Lewis told Alex Marvez and Ross Tucker of Sirius XM NFL Radio that tight end Tyler Eifert had back surgery on Tuesday. Eifert was placed on injured reserve on Monday after missing last Saturday night’s loss to the Texans and there’s no word on what his outlook is for the team’s offseason work.
The season that started with Eifert still recovering from offseason ankle surgery prompted by an injury he suffered during the Pro Bowl. Eifert missed the first six games of the season as a result of that and the development of the back issue that ultimately ended his year. He wound up with 29 catches for 394 yards and five touchdowns in eight games.
Eifert has been a productive piece of the puzzle for the Bengals when he’s been healthy, but injuries have been a consistent issue for him since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2013. He’s under contract for one more year as a result of the Bengals exercising his option, but 27 missed games in four years could impact the team’s desire to talk about anything beyond that until Eifert shows he can stay on the field next year.
