Bengals' bye helps team's health

Oct 17, 2017 - 3:12 AM CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals feel better about themselves coming out of the bye week and leading up to Sunday's AFC North division clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

The offense is humming under new coordinator Bill Lazor, and the defense is ranked among the league's best in several categories. The Bengals have won two straight games after starting the season 0-3, but there's work left to be done.

The bye week gives teams a chance to get healthy. There was both good news and bad news on that front for the Bengals after the break.

The bad news came late last week when Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert was placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Eifert is expected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk that has caused him to miss the past three games. Injuries are nothing new for the former Notre Dame star, who will have missed 41 possible games in his career by the time this season ends.

Eifert established himself as one of quarterback Andy Dalton's primary targets following a breakout season in 2015 when he had 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns. Eifert made the Pro Bowl that year, but suffered an ankle injury in Hawaii and hasn't been able to stay healthy for extended periods since then. He had four catches for 46 yards this season.

The Bengals were smart enough to add depth at the position two years ago when Tyler Kroft was drafted in the third round out of Rutgers and C.J. Uzomah was a fifth-round choice from Auburn. With both Eifert and Uzomah battling injuries, Kroft has taken full advantage of his opportunity with 14 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging nearly 10 yards per catch.

Some good news came Monday when rookie wide receiver John Ross, who was drafted ninth overall in the first round of this year's draft, returned to practice on a limited basis for the first time in two weeks. Ross had been inactive for four of the Bengals' five games due to a knee injury. Ross' status for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh is uncertain since he had yet to practice with the first team.

"It just feels good," Ross told Bengals.com Monday. "It felt really good. I feel fast. I always feel fast. I got out there and had a chance to run."

Ross fumbled his only touch, a 12-yard end-around on Sept. 14 against the Texans. He hasn't seen the field since. But, with Tyler Boyd also dealing with a knee injury -- he did not practice on Monday -- the Bengals could use some depth at wide receiver on Sunday. Rookie Josh Malone might be active for the first time this year, or they could summon the speedy Ross to give the Pittsburgh secondary something else to focus on aside from A.J. Green.

Dalton has a 116.2 passer rating during Lazor's three weeks at the helm, and the Bengals' defense ranks in the top three in the league in sacks, yards, and points allowed. A win over Pittsburgh (4-2) would put Cincinnati back in the AFC North and playoff conversation.

Cornerback Adam Jones, who is dealing with a back injury, was the only other notable Bengal out of practice on Monday.

"I think the bye week helped a lot," Ross said. "Not just for me, but for everyone. I got a chance to really recover and heal up well and it felt good today."

--When asked what advice he would give to youngsters playing football, Bengals long snapper Clark Harris said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Be a long snapper." Harris has made a career of it.

On Monday, the Bengals signed Harris to a one-year contract extension, through the 2018 season. Harris, a ninth-year player, has played in 131 of a possible 134 Bengals games (including postseason) since joining the team on October 13, 2009, missing only three games in 2016 due to injury. He has had no unplayable snaps in his entire Bengals career, with a snap total now standing at 1,192 (630 punts and 562 placekicks).

Also considered to be a solid contributor in kick coverage, Harris has 28 career special teams tackles for the Bengals, including two this season. Prior to the extension, Harris had been in the final season of a five-year contract.

NOTES: LB Hardy Nickerson was signed off the practice squad to the 53-player roster. He originally made the Bengals' roster after preseason as a college free agent. Nickerson played in the Bengals' first three games before being waived on September 28, with no stats. He was signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers. ... TE Scott Orndoff, a rookie from the University of Pittsburgh, was added to the practice squad on Monday. He originally signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a college free agent on May 1. The Steelers waived him in August prior to their first preseason game. He then signed with the Detroit Lions on August 21 and played in the Lions' final two preseason games, recording one reception for 4 yards. The Lions waived him in the cutdown to 53 players on September 2. ... TE Tyler Eifert was placed on the reserve/injured list with a back injury on Thursday, October 12. Eifert, a fifth-year player, played in Games 1 and 2 this season with one start and had four catches for 46 yards. He was inactive for Games 3-5 due to the back injury. ... CB Adam Jones worked out on the rehab field on Monday and did not participate in the first practice after the bye week. He left last week's game against Buffalo with a back injury.



REPORT CARD AFTER FIVE GAMES

--PASSING OFFENSE: B -- One of the primary objectives after Bill Lazor was named offensive coordinator three weeks ago was to get Andy Dalton more comfortable with the offense. The result is one of the best three-game stretches in Dalton's career. His passer rating under Lazor is a robust 116.2. A more up-tempo offense has helped get Dalton into rhythm and helped take some pressure off a suspect offensive line. A.J. Green is being targeted more often. The absence of tight end Tyler Eifert, who is out with a back injury, hasn't been as noticeable.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D -- The rushing attack under Lazor remains a work in progress. The Bengals are averaging 3.2 yards per carry. Rookie Joe Mixon has seen his carries increase substantially in recent weeks, but even he is gaining just 2.8 yards per attempt. Cincinnati has only one rushing touchdown this season, and Mixon is the only Bengals running back with more than 100 yards rushing through five weeks. He has 187.

--PASS DEFENSE: A -- The Bengals have at least one sack in a league-leading 34 straight games and rank third in the NFL with 18. Cincinnati ranks second in total defense and third with 16.8 points allowed per game. Linebacker Nick Vigil, in his first season as a full-time starter, leads the team with 43 tackles and has one sack. With Vontaze Burfict back after being suspended the first three games and youngsters Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis playing well, Cincinnati has one of its best defenses in recent years.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B -- The Bengals rank 14th with 103.2 rushing yards allowed per game. That can be attributed to some "chunk" plays allowed earlier in the season, like a 49-yard touchdown run by Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Open-field tackling has improved in recent weeks, most notably for linebacker Nick Vigil, who now leads the team in tackles.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A -- After surviving a training-camp-long competition with rookie Jake Elliott, Randy Bullock has gone 7-for-8 on field goals, including 2-for-3 from 40-49 yards. He has not yet missed an extra-point attempt. Alex Erickson ranks ninth in the NFL with a 26.3 average on kickoff returns. Kevin Huber is tied for second in the league with 13 punts inside the 20-yard line.

--COACHING: C-plus -- After an 0-3 start in which the Bengals went the first eight quarters of the season without an offensive touchdown, there were questions about head coach Marvin Lewis' future. Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was fired after two weeks, and in the subsequent three games under replacement Bill Lazor, the offense and quarterback Andy Dalton have shined. The Bengals have won two straight games to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive. But it's fair to ask if it's all too little, too late for Lewis, who was not offered a contract extension this past offseason.