Presence of OC Jay Gruden Was a ‘Big Factor’ in Tyler Eifert Signing With Jaguars
There were lots of reasons for Tyler Eifert to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first-ever year as an unrestricted free agent. From the hole at tight end, to a young and emerging quarterback in Garder Minshew II, to the sunshine and golf courses of Florida.
But one major factor? The chance to reunite with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who Eifert played for in his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013 in Gruden's last year coordinating the Bengals' offense. That year, the 2013 first-round tight end recorded 39 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was a big factor. Me and Coach Gruden go back like seven or eight years," Eifert told local media in a video conference on Thursday. "We get along great. I have a good understanding for the offense that he runs and a good feel for it."
Of course, Eifert spent only one of his seven seasons in the NFL playing under Gruden. Since 2013, he has played for several other offensive coordinators, most of which he played for longer than he did for Gruden.
But at least this time, Eifert will have at least some familiarity with the offensive scheme instead of entering an offseason with an entirely new playbook.
"I was in the same city for seven years, but we probably had four or five different offensive coordinators," Eifert said. "Learning a new offense can be challenging at times. You feel like you are never going to get it. Eventually over time and all the reps, it clicks. Having that familiarity with the offense is really nice. There is some new stuff in here, but being familiar with it and having a general idea of what’s going on makes it a lot easier to learn.”
Eifert has played in 59 games with 37 starts during his seven seasons in Cincinnati, where he was originally drafted in the first round (No. 21 overall) in 2013. His career stats include 185 receptions for 2,152 yards and 24 TDs.
While Eifert has struggled with injuries and consistency in the past, he caught the eye of the Jaguars this offseason before they signed him to a two-year contract.
"What you see in him is someone that is a three-down tight end who can obviously sustain himself in the run game and is a vertical threat," head coach Doug Marrone said on March 31. "He is really savvy as far as being able to sit down in zone, being able to make moves and being able to get open. It is something that we have not had here for a while."
With the familiarity with Gruden, even if it has been seven years, Eifert is hoping to produce quickly for a Jaguars' offense which saw only two tight ends catch a touchdown pass last year, and no tight ends reach 200 yards receiving.
“With this offense, just knowing all the different positions across the board from every concept to what every guy is doing because every concept, you could be in one of those different positions," Eifert said.
"It is just having an understanding of what is going on, being able to play multiple positions, being able to create mismatches and giving Coach Gruden the flexibility to move me around and put me in those different positions along with … I have never claimed to be a great blocker, but I have learned a lot over the seven years that I have played with different techniques and how to use leverage and what the defense is doing against us. I am willing to do whatever, and I am excited for the opportunity just to help the team and be a leader in the tight end room and the offense and play wherever they need me.”
