Injuries to Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (ankle, back) and A.J. Green (hamstring) came to define what was a regressive season for coach Marvin Lewis' team in the AFC North last year.
But as we inch closer to the start of their offseason workouts, a picture of their health is becoming clearer.
For Eifert, that means targeting a return during training camp.
"I'm feeling good. I continue to get better," he told the Bengals' official website. "My back feels great."
He added: "I'll be ready and healthy and strong and be ready to go by the time it's go time. I'm close."
For Green, who was fully cleared by the training staff at the beginning of last month, that means working out this coming Monday in Phase 1 of the Bengals' offseason training activities.
While there were a myriad of problems with last season's Bengals team, club reporter Geoff Hobson presents some interesting data blaming the injury gods. The Bengals had one of their best offensive seasons under Lewis in 2015 when Eifert and Green were on the field together for a majority of the season (13 games). Last year, they were only together for three games and the club scored almost a touchdown less per game. They ended up losing their nine games by an average of 7.5 points per contest.
All offseason, we've talked about this Bengals season leading to some kind of finality or resolution for Lewis, who does not plan on signing a contract extension soon. This would make him a lame-duck candidate this season coming off a free agency where they lost two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. But their faith in the combination of Eifert and Green is undeniable given how much they've lost and where they still expect to go.
