Tyler Eifert

Early years

Eifert attended Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic School and Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played tight end and defensive back in football and power forward in basketball. As a senior, he had nine touchdowns on offense and 97 tackles and five interceptions on defense. Considered only a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he chose to attend Notre Dame over other offers from Indiana, Minnesota, and Purdue.

College career

Eifert enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, where he played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 2009 to 2012. As a freshman in 2009, Eifert played in only one game after suffering a back injury. As a sophomore in 2010, he entered the season as a backup to Kyle Rudolph but took over as the starter after Rudolph suffered a season-ending injury. He finished the season with 27 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. In his junior season, he took over the tight end starting position. As a starter, Eifert had 63 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns. He broke the school's tight end single-season receptions and receiving yards record, previously held by Ken MacAfee. He was named a 2011 Mackey Award finalist but did not win the award. As a senior, he had 50 receptions for 685 yards with 4 touchdowns. He also won the 2012 Mackey Award after being named a finalist the year before and was also named second-team All-American by the Associated Press.

After a 42–14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, Eifert decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and declared his intention to enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Eifert was selected in the first round with the 21st overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2013 NFL Draft. On July 15, 2013, Eifert signed a four-year, $8.25 million rookie contract with the Bengals.

2013 season

On September 8, 2013, Eifert made his NFL debut, recording five receptions for 47 yards against the Chicago Bears. On September 16, 2013, Eifert caught three passes for 66 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of those three passes, Eifert grabbed his longest catch of the season, a 61-yard reception. On October 20, 2013, Eifert caught his first career touchdown on a 32-yard pass from Andy Dalton against the Detroit Lions. On December 15, 2013, Eifert caught his second touchdown of his career against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 22, 2013, Eifert left the game against the Minnesota Vikings early with a stinger injury. This injury sidelined Eifert for the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

2014 season

On September 7, 2014, during the first game of the 2014 season against the Baltimore Ravens, Eifert suffered a dislocated elbow after landing awkwardly on his arm while trying to twist out of a leg tackle. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2014, and ended up being out for the season.

2015 season

On September 13, 2015, Eifert posted a career day with nine receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opening victory over the Oakland Raiders. On September 20, 2015, Eifert scored his third touchdown of the season against the San Diego Chargers. On October 11, 2015, Eifert was also Andy Dalton's biggest target in a Week 5, 27-24 comeback victory against the two-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks with eight receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. On November 5, 2015, Eifert finished with five catches for 53 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-10 Bengals win over the Cleveland Browns, tying him with Rodney Holman (1989) and Bob Trumpy (1969) for the Bengals franchise record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end, with nine. On November 22, 2015, Eifert caught three passes for 22 yards and two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. Eifert became the franchise leader for most single-season touchdowns by a tight end. On November 29, 2015, Eifert caught a touchdown in the Bengals' 31-7 win over the St. Louis Rams. Eifert left the game in the third quarter with a stinger injury. The injury sidelined Eifert for two games until the season finale. On January 3, 2016, Eifert capped off the regular season with a touchdown in the Bengals' 24-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Eifert earned a bid to the 2016 Pro Bowl on Team Irvin but injured his ankle during the game. He was ranked 44th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

On April 13, 2016, the Bengals announced that they would pick up the fifth-year option of Eifert's contract. The injury Eifert suffered in the 2016 Pro Bowl kept Eifert sidelined until Week 8 of the 2016 season. In that game, Eifert caught nine passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Redskins, his second 100-plus yard game of his career. Eifert had his first 100-yard game since the 2015 opener and the first time he's teamed with wide receiver A. J. Green for a 100-yarder as well. In Week 10, he caught three passes for 96 yards against the New York Giants. In Week 12, Eifert caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 13, he caught a 13-yard touchdown, his third of the season, against the Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 14, he caught five passes for 48 yards and a season-high two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns. He was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2016 after dealing with a lingering back injury.