Cincinnati Bengals fans across the land (but, yeah mostly in Ohio); bow your heads in solemn mourning - tight end Tyler Eifert may be done for the season, according to a recent report from Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
"I can't give you an update until he's close to being healthy," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, before stating there is a chance Eifert might miss the rest of the season. "So he's on the mend, he's healing, he's doing things, and if he gets back and healthy, and he's gonna be able to contribute and not risk further injury, then he'll be back and out there."
The 24-year-old Eifert, who amassed 445 yards and two touchdowns on 39 catches last season as a rookie, looked primed to take a big step forward this season. With quarterback Andy Dalton faltering so badly on Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns, it's easy to see how an athletic presence in the middle of the field would have helped take some pressure off Dalton and the running game.
Eifert, when healthy, creates matchup problems because of his elite size-speed combination.
He was originally injured in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens when he dislocated his elbow in particularly gruesome fashion, and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve-designated to return list.
Lewis, however, said that Eifert would only come back when he was able to compete at his normal level.
"But obviously not gonna risk Tyler's future for any part of this season right now until he's completely 100 percent healthy, to be able to do his job thoroughly."
The Bengals have been forced to deal with a plethora of injuries to the offensive side of the ball this season as Eifert, running back Giovani Bernard and receivers Marvin Jones and AJ Green have all missed significant time.
If the Bengals, now 5-3-1, are to make it to the playoffs this season, they'll need their injured stars to return to the field - and soon.
