Eifert cleared for OTAs

Bengals HC Marvin Lewis admitted on Wednesday that TE Tyler Eifert is uncertain for the start of training camp. It sounds like he's still recovering from October back surgery. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in February that Eifert had been medically cleared -- and he was on the field for OTAs. But Lewis claims Eifert hasn't endured a setback. “There’s no reason to get him jostled,” Lewis explained. “Just ease his way into things. No setback. We’re trying to make sure we manage everything they want him to do." We'll see what Eifert is able to do when camp opens in late July. He remains 1 of the biggest injury risks in fantasy football.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert did not participate in Tuesday's minicamp workout. This wouldn't earn a Shark Bite for most guys, but Eifert isn't most guys. He's missed 41 games over 5 NFL seasons and had back surgery in October and surgery to remove a cyst on his knee in November. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in February that Eifert had been medically cleared. It's unclear what's keeping him sidelined now. "As time goes on when we start to play football then we will have an idea of where he is," HC Marvis Lewis said Tuesday. We'll continue to keep a close eye on Eifert. He's lasting until the 11th round of recent best-ball drafts.

The Bengals have signed TE Tyler Eifert to a 1-year deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. We never heard Eifert connected to another team, which likely means he didn't draw much interest on the open market. That's not a big surprise considering he's missed 41 games over his 5 NFL seasons and is coming off back and knee surgeries. Eifert turns just 28 in September and has scored 18 TDs in his last 23 games, so there's upside here. But he can't be viewed as more than a TE2 in 2018 fantasy drafts.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert recently underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his knee, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. Eifert is already recovering from an October back surgery that's expected to sideline him 4-6 months. We'll be curious to see what kind of deal he lands when he hits free agency in March,

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert will undergo season-ending back surgery on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It'll be Eifert's 2nd back surgery in the past 10 months. This one will sideline him 4-6 months, per Schefter. That timeline will have Eifert sidelined until somewhere between February and April. It's especially bad news considering he's set to hit free agency in March. Eifert is still only 27 but has now missed 22 games over the past 2 seasons and 41 total over his 5-year career.