Bob Holtzman of ESPN reports that while Bengals TE Tyler Eifert hinted he may play in Thursday’s game, the expectation is that he won’t return from his ankle injury this week.
A team source tells Holtzman that a Week 5 return for Eifert is still a possibility.
As of now, Eifert has yet to participate in a full practice and has not done any 11-on-11 work.
Eifert mentioned earlier he is “still working through some things” and plans to trust the process.
Eifert, 25, was taken with the No. 21 overall pick during the 2013 NFL Draft. He was in the final year of his four-year, $8.256 million rookie contract that included a $4.384 million and stands to make a base salary of $765,409 for the 2016 season.
The Bengals picked up his fifth-year option a few months that will run them over $4.7 million in 2017, but is guaranteed only for injury and won’t prevent them from working on a long-term extension over the next year.
In 2015, Eifert appeared in 13 games for the Bengals and recorded 52 receptions for 615 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 3 tight end out of 67 qualifying players.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
