Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has been officially declared out for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, the team announced Friday.
Eifert has been working his way back from an ankle injury sustained in the Pro Bowl and has yet to return to practice. On Friday, he worked off to the side with an athletic trainer.
Although expected, Eifert's absence is still a blow to the Bengals' offense, which returns star receiver A.J. Green, but otherwise will bring a mostly new group of pass catchers into Week 1.
The Jets have already revealed they plan to give cornerback Darrelle Revis some help so he's not covering Green one-on-one. That decision likely is made easier with the absence of Eifert, who had 52 catches for 615 yards and a team-leading 13 touchdown receptions last year.
Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard (ankle), expressed hope to play this week but is officially listed as doubtful.