Tyler Eifert Is Quickly Becoming the NFL's Next Elite Tight End

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has never lacked talent. He also hasn’t lacked speed or reliable, vacuum-like hands that suck back contested balls in traffic.

There’s also no shortage of athletic ability with him, especially when the 6’6”, 250-pound former Notre Dame standout is running deep down the seam. What was missing before this season then? Luck, mostly.

He’s the same guy we saw in 2013. Now we’re just going to see a whole lot more of him in 2015. So much more that, assuming he stays healthy, Eifert could quickly emerge as one of the NFL’s premier tight ends.

"He's not really a different guy,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said recently, per the Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer. “He had tremendous ball skills at Notre Dame, and a great ability to adjust to the football at his size. It's a rare combination that makes him very hard to cover. It was just a matter of time."

Time is a valuable thing Eifert didn’t really have in 2014 when his season ended after a mere eight snaps. He fell awkwardly while trying to wiggle free from a tackle and dislocated his elbow.

That came after he was quite rightly deemed worthy of the Bengals’ 21st overall pick in 2013 and posted 39 receptions for 445 yards during his rookie season, which is fine production from any rookie playing a position not exactly known for pumping out booming first-year numbers. Then those digits sparkle a little more when we look over at his usage and notice the now-25-year-old was only on the field for 58.7 percent of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

So the fleeting glimpses we saw of Eifert over his 16 games prior to this season tell us an utter lack of surprise is the right reaction when greeted with the early makings of a breakout in 2015.

But good luck getting your jaw to stay in the proper closed position while watching him.

Year(s)	Games played	Receptions	Yards	TDs
2013 and 2014	16	52	485	2
2015	2	13	153	3

The NFL is inherently a league where shrugging and saying, “Meh, it’s early” doesn’t last long. When Week 3 concludes Monday night, each team will nearly be at the quarter pole of its season. Resist that same indifferent reaction, then, when looking at Eifert’s season after two games.

He could put together a handful of duds, and I’ll perilously walk out on a limb to predict the John Mackey Award winner in 2012—presented annually to college football’s best tight end—won’t maintain his current pace for 1,224 receiving yards.

What matters, though, is how quickly a healthy Eifert has become a significant contributor for the Bengals after he was granted a larger role. Jermaine Gresham is long gone, and now Eifert has been on the field for nearly every snap (95.5 percent so far, per PFF).

More importantly, he’s converted that into immediate production. Consult the table above again, and note that Eifert’s 2015 totals already account for 31.5 percent of his work in 2013 and 2014 combined.

His early dazzling has been highlighted by nine receptions against the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 for a career single-game high of 104 yards. The reason for his effectiveness has been abundantly clear: He’s a mismatch machine.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

"He makes things go," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said of Eifert, per ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey. "If they rotate coverage one way or another, you've got guys who can win matchups. A big, tall guy is what football comes to. We have big, long guys, and big, long guys have opportunities to make plays and put the ball where it belongs."

Eifert's presence alone leads to more open space elsewhere, and that's rather inviting when your offense also includes all-planet wide receiver A.J. Green. When selecting your poison of choice, death by Green or death by Eifert is a difficult decision.

It’s easy to see why having multiple large, tall targets would benefit Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton—especially when the largest pass-catcher available still displays fluid, wide receiver-like movement in his route running, just as Eifert did to create red-zone separation against the Raiders for his 13-yard touchdown catch.

With only 12 seconds left in the second quarter, Dalton lined up in shotgun from the Raiders 13-yard line. He had four receivers spread out, and Eifert was aligned short to the right.

The hulking tight end was assigned to run a post route, and for that to end in six points, the key elements were timing, ball placement and the hands to secure a lofted throw. Eifert needed to first use his speed, which would force cornerback Neiko Thorpe to stand his ground, and then he had to abruptly cut into the middle.

It’s an assignment we take for granted too often. Planting to stall momentum followed by a sudden burst in another direction is a lot to ask of someone carrying around 250 pounds.

For Eifert, though, the footwork was simple and smooth. First, he pivoted to break off the route with still about a two-yard buffer from where Thorpe was standing.

Credit: NFL Game Pass

That provided Dalton with the window he needed to place a high throw where there could be only two possible receivers: Eifert, or the air (also known as nobody).

Eifert then had to rely on natural athletic instinct, of which he has plenty. He had to slide into full basketball box-out mode, using his wide frame to absorb contact while securing the catch as Thorpe stayed blocked out.

Then Eifert’s large mitts took care of the rest.

Credit: NFL Game Pass

Again, Eifert stands 6’6”, so after elevating with outstretched arms, he’s in an area of high space only accessible to him. Getting there is impressive enough, but being able to create and capitalize on space is the neatest trick of all.

With Eifert healthy, the Bengals add another dimension to their offense, one they hope will keep Dalton mentally upright during the playoffs instead of in the fetal position.

Between Green (6'4", 207 lbs) and the third-year tight end, there are two large-bodied pass-catchers at Dalton's disposal who can do the heavy lifting. They can both provide a sense of comfort with trusted hands, and they can both beat coverage deep while exploiting mismatches.

Most of all, Eifert fits the standard modern tight end description: He’s a wide receiver yearning to be set free from his tight end body.