Jermaine Gresham, Tyler Eifert Injury Updates
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham suffered a hamstring injury in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings after catching three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, and he was unable to play in the team’s season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite only practicing on Friday that week, it was assumed that the Bengals were simply holding Gresham out against the Ravens in an effort to get him as close to 100% as possible for the playoffs.
According to Bengals official site beat writer Geoff Hobson, Gresham has returned to practice today, and any worries regarding his status for the team’s Wild Card game should be dispelled by today’s practice appearance. Gresham is going to play on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, and it will be interesting to see how the 46-catch TE does against a weak Chargers pass defense.
Fellow tight end Tyler Eifert also suffered an injury in Week 16 against the Vikings, but his injury occurred earlier on in the game and helped lead to more targets for Gresham. Eifert’s injury was termed as a “shoulder stinger”, and it seems like his injury is more severe than Gresham’s despite looking mild when he first suffered it.
Hobson reports that Eifert is not at practice today, and he was listed as doubtful against the Ravens before being ruled inactive. The rookie out of Notre Dame seems questionable to play this week, though I would tentatively expect him to play. At this point, his status should be considered day-to-day, and his absence would obviously mean more targets for Gresham, as both TEs split snaps about 50/50 (Eifert has only about 15 less receiving yards than Gresham this season).