Jaguars Agree to a Deal With Former Bengals Tight End Tyler Eifert

Jay Gruden's former tight end has found his way back into the offense of the first NFL play-caller he ever played for.

Seven years after a rookie Tyler Eifert was utilized each week by Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, the veteran tight end has found his way back into a Gruden offense by agreeing to a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The deal, first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, is a two-year contract, JaguarReport has confirmed. 

Eifert was drafted by the Bengals in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the final year of Gruden's tenure as the Bengals offensive coordinator. Since then, Eifert has had an up-and-down career that has seen great highs, but also great lows. 

Due to a long history of injuries, Eifert has only played double-digit games in three of his NFL seasons, with some seasons consisting of only one, two, or four games played.

2019 was the first time in Eifert's career that the 29-year-old had played an entire 16-game season. Last year, Eifert caught 43 receptions for 436 yards and three touchdowns in Zac Taylor's offense. 

Gruden has an extensive history of utilizing tight ends in his offense, and the new Jaguars play-caller has one year of experience in calling plays with Eifert as a weapon at his disposal. In Gruden's one year with Eifert, the tight end recorded 39 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns.

Eifert's best season came in 2015, earning him the only Pro Bowl nod of his career. That year, he caught 52 receptions for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, all career-highs.

Eifert will join Josh Oliver, James O'Shaughnessy, Charles Jones, and Matt Sokol as the only tight ends on the Jaguars' roster. Eifert is the only one of these players to appear in more than six games, and he caught more touchdowns by himself than any of those four tight ends did combined last season.

Eifert is the first offensive free agent the Jaguars have signed this offseason, with the vast majority of their attention being focused on rebuilding the depth on defense. Eifert should be expected to compete with Oliver for the starting tight end position, though there are injury concerns with each player.