Although Tyler Eifert received medical clearance early in the offseason, the Bengals are holding the recently re-signed tight end out of minicamp this week. And Marvin Lewis isn’t sure if that setup will change once the team reconvenes in late July for training camp.
Lewis said, via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, he doesn’t know if Eifert is going to be back by the time training camp begins. He’s recovering from back surgery after back problems defined a second straight season. Eifert was a limited OTAs participant.
The Bengals’ working out at Paul Brown Stadium could be a factor here. Lewis said the field being redone earlier this month has affected how the team is proceeding with Eifert. It can be expected that Eifert, who re-signed with Cincinnati for $5.5MM on a one-year deal, will return to work at training camp. It’s just not known if the sixth-year tight end will do so from the outset.
“There’s no reason to get him jostled,” Lewis said. “Just ease his way into things. No setback. We’re trying to make sure we manage everything they want him to do.”
Health’s obviously been the defining component in Eifert’s NFL career, and he’s at a career crossroads because of it. The 2015 Pro Bowler has missed 51 percent of the regular-season games during his Bengals run. He missed 14 games last season and eight in 2016.