Tyler Eifert is a talented player who will likely have to sign a “prove-it” contract this offseason due to his injury history, but the tight end is reportedly telling teams he is ready to go.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Eifert’s agent has been informing teams that the 27-year-old is healthy after undergoing back surgery and will be ready for the start of offseason workouts.
NFL teams have begun to be notified that Bengals’ free-agent-to-be TE Tyler Eifert, who underwent micro-disc surgery last season, was cleared last week by Dr. Robert Watkins to participate in OTAs this spring and play in 2018, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2018
Eifert, a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, is a dynamic playmaker and one of the best red zone threats in the game when healthy, but staying on the field has been a major issue for him. He’s missed a total of 22 games over the past two seasons, and he elected to have surgery on his bothersome back after playing in just two games last year.
He’s still just 27, so Eifert should have no problem finding work. He has the talent to be paid like a top tight end, but he’s going to have to prove he can make it through the majority of a season before a team will be willing to do that.
