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Bengals re-sign Tyler Eifert!!!


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'I owe them a good year'

Posted 4 hours ago

hobson60x60.jpgGeoff HobsonEditorBengals.comFollow Me Blog

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Reports says Tyler Eifert is back.
 
 
When free agency opened this week, the Bengals were sure of only one thing. They were focused on continuing the rehab of their last-in-the-league offense that began with January’s coaching staff shakeup.
It turned out they met their biggest need and answered their biggest question.

On Thursday when reports surfaced they have an agreement to re-sign erstwhile Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert to a one-year contract, their new investments in the project reached nearly $17 million and they could reach as much as $20 million if Eifert is as healthy as he was when he was a Pro Bowler in 2015.

The Bengals weren’t looking to drop that much in free agency, but when they realized they had a trading partner in Buffalo, they solved their biggest need when they swapped first-round picks and acquired a solid, reliable veteran left tackle in Cody Glenn even though he hit the cap at $11.25 million.

The biggest question of the offseason was if Eifert was willing to gamble on a one-year deal with $3.5 million of an $8.5 million contract tied to play time and production. Eifert said, “Yes,” and if he’s healthy then the offense picked up one of the top free agents on the market. How many tight ends are out there with a 13-TD season?

The deal also probably means they need to find a new center because that appears to be the last major pact they’ll do in free agency. They’ll probably do some minimum veteran deals, but if the Bengals did reach a deal with center Russell Bodine, their starter for the last four seasons, they’d probably release somebody else and they’re not usually keen on doing that.

But the Glenn trade not only gave them a left tackle, it gave them center options at No. 21 that they didn’t have at No. 12. There could be as many as three prospects sitting there.  
While the Glenn deal was a top-of-the-hour news break, the Bengals may have snuck in their biggest move of all with Thursday’s bottom-of-the-screen crawling with the deal for Eifert, the guy the league forgot. 

The Bengals, believed to have edged out the Rams and 49ers in the Eifert Derby, are delighted to get him back despite his injury history that has knocked him out of more than half his 80 NFL games. They know when healthy he’s broken up more games than the internet with that Pro Bowl season in 2015 that saw him confound defenses with those 13 touchdowns.
 

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Tyler Eifert, circa 2015.

He’s a lot like this offense. Battered. Bruised. Rehabbing and reviving. And on a one-year trial. But it has also had years of brilliance. Eifert says he can do that again.

“Yeah. I don’t think there’s been a question about my talent,” Eifert said. “Unfortunately it’s been a matter of staying healthy.”

There was never any doubt he wanted to do it here and although he doesn’t show much emotion, he made it clear he feels like he’s got an obligation.

 “I knew where I wanted to be,” Eifert said. “It’s a place I called home for five years. I like the guys in the locker room. I love the coaches. The fans have been great. The way I left it, it’s not the way I wanted to leave it. I felt like I owed it to Mr. (Mike) Brown, Coach (Marvin) Lewis and the fans to come back and give them a good year.”

It has been expected that any deal for Eifert includes a base salary (figure in the $5.5M area) as well as incentives based on play time as well as catches, yards, and touchdowns. Eifert has played just eight games since he got hurt in that ’15 Pro Bowl with ankle and back problems.

He had back surgery this offseason and says he’s been cleared by the surgeon, but Lewis indicated the club has yet to clear him. Eifert said Thursday he feels great and that he’ll be able to participate in the off-season workouts that begin next month and practice in May and June.

The last time he did that?

It would have been 2015.

 “That was a pretty good year, wasn’t it?” Eifert asked.
 
 
 

 

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25 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

I just feel like the Bengals are trying to get back with an old girl friend with Eifert; even if he does stay relatively healthy there is no guarantee he will be an above average player. 

 

 

The injuries have taken a toll on his body, he's not the same guy he was 2-3 years  ago. He's had 3 back surgeries since college, along with ankle, elbow, and shoulder surgeries, and a concussion as well.

 

http://sportsinjurypredictor.com/player/tyler-eifert/6680

 

He's's banged up, why not let Kroft and CJ develop instead of investing in a player who has had 7 surgeries in 5 years. Eifert hurt his back running routes in practice and missed multiple games, he's the definition of unreliable from an injury standpoint.

 

 

 

Your concerns are valid. But irrelevant. It's like a roller coaster ride.

You have no control, so sit back, hope for the best and try and enjoy it 

as much as possible. 

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5 hours ago, Jason said:

Do you still draft Gesicki at 46 if he’s there? (Assuming you were on the Gesicki train to begin with.)

No way would I use a 2nd round draft pick on a TE this year. This is way down the totem pole for me. C, G, LB, S, OT are much more urgent in my opinion. I would even consider WR and CB bigger areas of need early in the draft. Sadly, the Bengals are going to need to draft projected 2018 starters in the first two to three rounds this year if they are ging to dramatically improve this season. 

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5 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

 

 

 

Your concerns are valid. But irrelevant. It's like a roller coaster ride.

You have no control, so sit back, hope for the best and try and enjoy it 

as much as possible. 

 

Or you might think "hey that rollercoaster keeps decapitating riders, maybe I will go get some Dippin' Dots instead of waiting in line for 3 hours", or "maybe I will not buy that Season Pass this summer and spend more time at the lake."

 

JS, you have all the control you need. 

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3 minutes ago, BengalFanInTO said:

No way would I use a 2nd round draft pick on a TE this year. This is way down the totem pole for me. C, G, LB, S, OT are much more urgent in my opinion. I would even consider WR and CB bigger areas of need early in the draft. Sadly, the Bengals are going to need to draft projected 2018 starters in the first two to three rounds this year if they are ging to dramatically improve this season. 

 

I don't think so, outside of OL.  Obviously they need to improve there, but overall I don't think the roster is the main issue.  I don't think the roster has been the main issue in a long time.  It's all coaching & ownership - the talent is there. 

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1 minute ago, T-Dub said:

 

Or you might think "hey that rollercoaster keeps decapitating riders, maybe I will go get some Dippin' Dots instead of waiting in line for 3 hours", or maybe I will not buy that Season Pass this summer and spend more time at the lake.

 

JS, you have all the control you need. 

 

 

If I didn't abandon this team during the 90's, or a move to Wisconsin,

I ain't going anywhere. I enjoy the ride as much as possible.

I even get Sunday Ticket to get as much of it as I can.

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5 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

 

 

If I didn't abandon this team during the 90's, or a move to Wisconsin,

I ain't going anywhere. I enjoy the ride as much as possible.

I even get Sunday Ticket to get as much of it as I can.

 

My point being, there's a ton of room between "abandon team" and "everything team does is 100% awesome".

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9 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

My point being, there's a ton of room between "abandon team" and "everything team does is 100% awesome".

 

 

Yeah. I already know that. And I am on record being against bringing Marvin back.

Would you like it if I put in my signature or say it at the end of every post?

 

I was wanting Eifert back. It's a team/player friendly deal.

Why would I bitch about something I wanted?

 

 

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2 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

 

 

Yeah. I already know that. And I am on record being against bringing Marvin back.

Would you like it if I put in my signature or say it at the end of every post?

 

I was wanting Eifert back. It's a team/player friendly deal.

Why would I bitch about something I wanted?

 

 

 

I, on the other hand, did not want Eifert back.  We've wasted enough time on him by far IMO.

 

No need to make that into something bigger than it is.

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23 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

I don't think so, outside of OL.  Obviously they need to improve there, but overall I don't think the roster is the main issue.  I don't think the roster has been the main issue in a long time.  It's all coaching & ownership - the talent is there. 

Geez, I don't know if I can agree this year (or last). Nick Vigil, Jordan Evans, Trey Hopkins, Shawn Williams and Russell Bodine really shouldn't be starting for this team if they hope to make the playoffs. I am not saying the team if bereft of talent. I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is that starters in this year's draft are needed so the "luxury" of an early round TE isn't in the cards.

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Eifert is a boom or bust signing.  We can hope for the best but history doesn't favor a long stretch of good health.  If he can play something in the range of 10-12 games, he can make a big difference.  Personally, I wouldn't bet on it but here we are.  I think any production we get from Eifert is almost a bonus.  The Bengals have a lot riding on the health of several players in addition to Eifert, namely Burfict and Glenn.  A certain amount of injury luck has to go your way for any team to have success in any year.  

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12 minutes ago, BengalFanInTO said:

Geez, I don't know if I can agree this year (or last). Nick Vigil, Jordan Evans, Trey Hopkins, Shawn Williams and Russell Bodine really shouldn't be starting for this team if they hope to make the playoffs. I am not saying the team if bereft of talent. I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is that starters in this year's draft are needed so the "luxury" of an early round TE isn't in the cards.

 

I'll agree with you in that Kroft was plenty serviceable.  Signing Eifert again doesn't change our need for a TE one way or another, however.  He is a nonfactor until proven otherwise. 

 

My concern is they will keep him in bubblewrap all through camp & then he predictably gets hurt yet again week 3, after we've already cut someone that could actually play.

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4 hours ago, T-Dub said:

I sure hope this contract is entirely based on playing time and they're not just throwing good money after bad again.  

 

 

So both of our big offseason moves are for players that haven't been healthy since 2015.  Championship strategy right there.

Dude, maybe you need a colonic, or something else that cleans the shit out of you? Quite honestly Dub, I have always liked you, but it sounds like during the best of times you're for some reason experiencing the exact opposite. One word about professional football....BELIEVE! It's all we have. That's what being a fan is all about. This off season...coaching changes, the improvement in obtaining talent and retaining it, last year's rookies being healthy, roster stability of star players, being set up to acquire a lot of potentially valuable  and helpful talent....ALL THAT SHIT has me excited more than many years past. I am really sorry you're not visualizing any of those possibilities! If you have followed me at all for any time here you'd know I am ANYTHING but a homer, and for that reason feel a commonality with your normal POV, but this is not one of those times. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

I just feel like the Bengals are trying to get back with an old girl friend with Eifert; even if he does stay relatively healthy there is no guarantee he will be an above average player. 

 

 

The injuries have taken a toll on his body, he's not the same guy he was 2-3 years  ago. He's had 3 back surgeries since college, along with ankle, elbow, and shoulder surgeries, and a concussion as well.

 

http://sportsinjurypredictor.com/player/tyler-eifert/6680

 

He's's banged up, why not let Kroft and CJ develop instead of investing in a player who has had 7 surgeries in 5 years. Eifert hurt his back running routes in practice and missed multiple games, he's the definition of unreliable from an injury standpoint.

 

 

Because he offers more potential than them, despite all of that. Sorry you can't recognize that.

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19 minutes ago, bengaled said:

Dude, maybe you need a colonic, or something else that cleans the shit out of you?

 

Very helpful of you, I guess if anyone needs to administer an enema now they know where to find an asshole.

 

:D

 

Are you having Eifert's baby or something?  We're talking about some pro football player contract, he doesn't care, why are mf'ers getting all triggered over it?

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7 minutes ago, bengaled said:

 

 

Because he offers more potential than them, despite all of that. Sorry you can't recognize that.

 

I recognize his potential, but I know that he's injury prone and potential doesn't win games. 

 

Who cares about his "potential" if he can't play because he's injured.

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1 minute ago, PatternMaster said:

 

I recognize his potential, but I know that he's injury prone and potential doesn't win games. 

 

Who cares about his "potential" if he can't play because he's injured.

 

 

I guess as fans we'll see how all that plays out, right? One thing's for sure though. Aside from using a high draft pick at a more needed position this year, and that pick doing a rare stepping up in his Bengal rookie season as well (cough, cough), signing a proven Pro Bowl potential tight end and retaining yet another first round pick we didn't allow to get away, seems like a helluva good bet on what our best hopes could be this year from that position. I say this viewing him as a absolute difference making weapon and a guy who has the individual potential to win crunch games for us. No other tight end on this roster offers that, and to be quite honest, very few receivers of any type do!

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50 minutes ago, bengaled said:

 

 

I guess as fans we'll see how all that plays out, right? One thing's for sure though. Aside from using a high draft pick at a more needed position this year, and that pick doing a rare stepping up in his Bengal rookie season as well (cough, cough), signing a proven Pro Bowl potential tight end and retaining yet another first round pick we didn't allow to get away, seems like a helluva good bet on what our best hopes could be this year from that position. I say this viewing him as a absolute difference making weapon and a guy who has the individual potential to win crunch games for us. No other tight end on this roster offers that, and to be quite honest, very few receivers of any type do!

The only reason why you view him as an absolute difference-making weapon that has the individual potential to win crunch games is because of his 2015 season, but he's not that guy anymore. If the Bengals are signing players based on what they did in 2015 then we should definitely sign Ryan Fitzpatrick(Top 12 QB in 2015), Adrian Peterson(Best RB in the NFL in 2015), and Brandon Marshall(Top 5 WR in 2015)..but that would be dumb because these guys have either been injury prone(Peterson & Marshall) or their level of play has dramatically decreased. 

 

I get that most fans have fond memories of Eifert catching TD's and long passes down the middle of the field and finally fulfilling his destiny as a first-round pick that stretch the field and blah, blah, blah...but that was many moons ago and since that time he's had 2 back surgeries, knee, and ankle surgeries since that season. To expect this guy to step on the field and pick up where he left off in 2015 is just not reasonable. 

 

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade around here but I just don't see the point of bringing him back, why not develop the young guys on the roster at TE or look for a replace in FA or the draft that can stay healthy and has potential. 

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6 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

The only reason why you view him as an absolute difference-making weapon that has the individual potential to win crunch games is because of his 2015 season, but he's not that guy anymore. If the Bengals are signing players based on what they did in 2015 then we should definitely sign Ryan Fitzpatrick(Top 12 QB in 2015), Adrian Peterson(Best RB in the NFL in 2015), and Brandon Marshall(Top 5 WR in 2015)..but that would be dumb because these guys have either been injury prone(Peterson & Marshall) or their level of play has dramatically decreased. 

 

I get that most fans have fond memories of Eifert catching TD's and long passes down the middle of the field and finally fulfilling his destiny as a first-round pick that stretch the field and blah, blah, blah...but that was many moons ago and since that time he's had 2 back surgeries, knee, and ankle surgeries since that season. To expect this guy to step on the field and pick up where he left off in 2015 is just not reasonable. 

 

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade around here but I just don't see the point of bringing him back, why not develop the young guys on the roster at TE or look for a replace in FA or the draft that can stay healthy and has potential. 

How do you know he's not that guy anymore? And if he isn't his base salary of $5.5M isn't keeping us from signing some playmaker in the second wave of free agency, because there won't be any left with the way teams are spending. Simply put, if he performs like a top 5 TE, he gets paid like one. If he gets injured or doesn't produce, he gets paid modestly and takes snaps from a couple of guys who are replacement level players. Why not take a shot on a guy who at his best, keeps Randy Bullock from shanking chip shots. If we don't sign him, its probably Bodine who is below replacement level player level and doesn't miss any snaps. Pretty much forces the team to take a center early in the draft, which should be music to everyone's ears.

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1 hour ago, JC said:

How do you know he's not that guy anymore? And if he isn't his base salary of $5.5M isn't keeping us from signing some playmaker in the second wave of free agency, because there won't be any left with the way teams are spending. Simply put, if he performs like a top 5 TE, he gets paid like one. If he gets injured or doesn't produce, he gets paid modestly and takes snaps from a couple of guys who are replacement level players. Why not take a shot on a guy who at his best, keeps Randy Bullock from shanking chip shots. If we don't sign him, its probably Bodine who is below replacement level player level and doesn't miss any snaps. Pretty much forces the team to take a center early in the draft, which should be music to everyone's ears.

 

He hasn't come close to replicating his prior success and it's extremely rare for players to be highly productive after having multiple back surgeries. 

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