Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert suffered an elbow injury early in the 23-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. With the injury, Eifert is a candidate to be placed on IR with designation to return, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (via Twitter).
Eifert, a pass catching specialist out of Notre Dame, had 39 receptions for 445 yards in 2013, and was primed for a bigger role in the offense this season. The Bengals have made use of Eifert in tandem with Jermaine Gresham in two-tight end sets in 2013, and early in their season opener today.
This leaves the team with only Gresham and journeyman Alex Smith as the two available tight ends. The 10-year veteran Smith has a large target area at 6’4″, but has not contributed much as a receiver over the last few seasons, catching only 34 passes since 2009.
Eifert would likely be designated to return if placed on IR, but in that case would have to miss at least eight weeks. The Bengals could consider bringing another tight end in the meantime if they would like to continue to utilize multiple tight ends in their offense.