Bengals Tyler Eifert reunion might make sense

Tight-end Tyler Eifert is open to a return to the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. This move could make sense for both parties. Cincinnati has many of the pieces in place to be a truly deadly offense in the near future. However, one thing that’s missing is a receiving tight end that keeps defensive coordinators up at night.

C.J. Uzomah has never caught more than 43 balls in a season since coming into the league in 2015. Drew Sample enters his third year with 45 career catches. The Bengals love to bring in players and coaches with previous ties to the organization. Eifert made a Pro Bowl for Cincinnati in 2015 and is still just 30 years old.

The lengthy injury history Eifert has dramatically reduced his production in recent years. Still, Eifert has played in 31 of 32 possible games over the last two seasons, The skillset that makes him a  matchup nightmare is still there too. Eifert was most recently on the 2019 Bengals and 2020 Jaguars.

Both the Bengals and Jaguars had quarterback turmoil. A former Notre Dame standout, Eifert has posted a respectable 79 catches and five touchdowns over the last two campaigns, Jacksonville has declined Eifert’s option for 2021. Eifert will be a free agent next month.

There is a lot of chatter about the Bengals taking Florida TE Kyle Pitts with the fifth pick in the draft. Pitts is a tremendous talent. However, no one can really fault Cincinnati if they can’t talk themselves into using a top-five pick on a tight end. It is almost unheard of.

There are also reports linking Cincinnati to soon-to-be free agent Gerald Everett. Everett has Rams ties with Zac Taylor but isn’t really a proven pass-catching threat. If the Bengals aren’t comfortable with Pitts or Everett, Eifert could be a happy medium.

Eifert represents a low-risk high reward tight end upgrade option for the Bengals that would surely be well received by the fan base.