Tyler Eifert has experienced a setback in his quest to make it on the field in 2016.
Cincinnati's star tight end has been trying to come back from offseason ankle surgery, but now the Bengals have also listed a back injury next to Eifert's name on Wednesday's practice report.
The fourth-year target did not practice Wednesday, an ominous sign for his status this weekend. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that this latest snag has caused the team to doubt his ability to play Sunday against the Cowboys.
Eifert injured his ankle in the 2016 Pro Bowl following his breakout campaign that featured 13 touchdowns. Eifert had not played in all 16 games in his first three seasons, missing a combined 19 contests over that span. Fifteen of those absences came after he suffered a dislocated right elbow in the Bengals' 2014 season opener.
Cincinnati's offense has especially missed Eifert in the red zone this season, as Andy Dalton and company have scored a touchdown on a league-worst 30.8 percent of trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line. The Bengals were the sixth-best team in that metric in 2015, reaching pay dirt on 65 percent of their red-zone visits.
