Bengals in the middle of the pack in tight end ranking

For the Bengals, tight end will be one of the more intriguing positions to watch for this coming season.

Much of that has to do with former Pro Bowl selection Tyler Eifert, who once looked like a rising superstar in this league, only to have his career threatened by an onslaught of season-ending injuries.

After Eifert, the Bengals have a reliable veteran in C.J. Uzomah and a promising rookie in Drew Sample. Uzomah and Sample figure to be the future of this position in Cincinnati, as Eifert will become a free agent in 2020, and he hopes to have a big season that gets him a big contract from another team. It’s unlikely the Bengals would ever give him one after investing so much in Uzomah and Sample.

But that’s a discussion for another day. For now, the focus is on the 2019 season, and SB Nation thinks the Bengals have a middle-of-the-pack group of tight ends. In a ranking of all 32 tight end groups, the Bengals came in at 17th overall.

That’s an appropriate spot, especially when you consider how much of this ranking hinges on what Eifert does. If he stays healthy for 16 games, the Bengals may end up having a top-10 group of tight ends.

But if Eifert ends up getting injured and only plays a handful of games, the Bengals could wind up with a bottom-10 group of tight ends.

Of course, Uzomah may continue to progress and/or Sample makes a big impact as a rookie, which could get this unit higher even if Eifert can’t stay healthy.

Where do you think the Bengals’ tight ends should be ranked?