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As Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Jim Owczarski explained, when Tyler Eifert left the Pro Bowl in a walking boot following an injury to his left ankle on Jan. 31, the initial diagnosis and estimates for his recovery were promising and fantasy football owners have been drafting him accordingly in recent mock drafts (he's been the third tight end off the board to date on MyFantasyLeague.com).

But in the nearly four months since, the ankle has not responded as quickly as all of the parties would have liked, and Owczarski has learned from multiple league sources that the 25-year-old tight end will undergo what was deemed a "minimal procedure" on that ankle soon.

A three month recovery is anticipated.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Eifert will likely begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The Bengals are expected to open training camp the last week of July.

ESPN's Adam Schefter cites a source as saying Eifert could miss the regular-season opener.

Eifert, who played in 13 games last season, finished with 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, emerging as one of the league's best at his position.

We'll continue to watch this one closely; in the meantime, Tyler Kroft, Ryan Hewitt and C.J. Uzomah are in line for more time at tight end while Eifert is recovering.