Tyler Eifert Needs Ankle Surgery, May Not Be Ready for Week 1
By Jason McIntyre
Remember when I said the Bengals would miss the playoffs in 2016? Cincinnati has advanced to the NFL postseason from 2011-2015, and I’ve been predicting their demise for awhile now, but with no success. But this is the year! Eventually, losing your offensive and defensive coordinator catches up with you. And so does half of your offense.
In free agency this offseason, the Bengals lost their #2 (Marvin Jones to the Lions) and #3 WRs (Mohamad Sanu to the Falcons), and the news just got much worse: Tyler Eifert, who got injured at the Pro Bowl four months ago, now needs surgery and it’s unlikely he’ll be ready for Week 1.
Eifert, a former Notre Dame star, caught 13 TD passes in 13 games last year. So Andy Dalton will definitely be without two of his top three receives next year – he’ll need some time to develop chemistry with 2nd round pick Tyler Boyd – and now, his star tight end will be returning from ankle surgery.
The Bengals open at the Jets and at the Steelers, and then host the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos in Week 3. Cincinnati’s star receiver AJ Green will be seeing a lot of double teams next season.