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Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert posted a workout video this week that showed he’s made good progress in his recovery from last year’s broken ankle with the start of free agency drawing closer.

Eifert discussed his recovery and his impending freedom during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Eifert called himself “pretty close” to being ready to go on the field and said that his recovery from this ankle injury has been made easier because he went through it with his other ankle in the past.

Those ankle injuries are part of a long list of injuries that have kept Eifert off the field for large chunks of his career. Eifert knows that will be part of the discussion with teams when the free agent market opens next month.

“Obviously it’s something I have to deal with and something I have to answer to because it is a part of my history,” Eifert said. “It’s tough, though, because there’s nothing I could do to prevent what is happening. Pretty freak injuries.”

Eifert was able to find one bright side to his most recent injury. He’s had three back surgeries and said that the time off due to his ankle injury has left his back feeling as good as it has ever felt, which is good news for Eifert even if it’s unlikely to lead to a lot of guarantees from teams that are aware of how infrequently he’s been able to play.