While Andy Dalton was throwing deep passes to A.J. Green and the rest of the Bengals receivers on Friday Adidas Evgeny Kuznetsov Jersey , Tyler Eifert was on a side field running sprints in shorts and a cut-off shirt.

He ran one sprint, then another. Next were some agility drills. The tight end did everything except catch one of Dalton's spirals.

The Bengals' most oft-injured player hopes that part comes soon.

The Bengals have gambled that Eifert can stay healthy for a full season and get the NFL's worst offense moving again. He played only two games last season before hurting his back again, prompting another medical procedure. Eifert was a free agent after the season, and the Bengals decided to keep him with an incentive-laden, one-year deal .

Cincinnati's offense finished last in the league in yards. A healthy Eifert could help change that.

"I can't predict the future on that one, but I can testify to the fact that he made a difference when he was up and running for us," director of player personnel Duke Tobin said. "We know what he can do if he can get back to that level."

Eifert is one of Dalton's favorite targets. He caught 13 touchdown passes in 2015, the most by a tight end in Bengals history. That was the last time the Bengals made the playoffs. A concussion, a dislocated elbow, a torn ankle ligament and two back injuries have limited him to 24 games over the last four years.

Although the Bengals have encouraging reports on Eifert's back, they've decided to go slow with him at the start of camp. He hasn't been cleared to practice even though he feels he's ready, forcing him to work out on a side field the first two days.

"When I came back, I thought I'd go right into practice," Eifert said. "Everyone knows all the surgeries I've had. We're just being smart about it."

The Bengals are trying to keep him healthy and get him in shape for the opener at Indianapolis on Sept. 9. He said there's been no discussion about how much he might play in the preseason.

"I definitely need to get back out there, get some plays full-speed Cheap Breeland Speaks Jersey ," Eifert said. "It's been a while."

Eifert hurt his back during the second game last season, a 13-9 loss to Houston. Backups Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah combined for 52 catches and eight touchdowns during the season.

Eifert's greatest asset is his ability to make catches in tight coverage, the main reason he became Dalton's favorite target near the goal line. The tight end has made one change in the offseason, dropping at least 10 pounds for quickness.

"I feel a lot better," he said. "Everyone is always saying you're got to block and hang in there in the trenches, you've got to put on weight, but that's (wrong)."

ON THE SIDE: Linebacker Vontaze Burfict also worked out on the side Friday for the second straight day. He hasn't been cleared to practice. Burfict is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

ROSS AGAIN: Second-year receiver John Ross made his second impressive catch of camp on a long throw, drawing applause from the crowd of 1,050. Ross missed most of his rookie season with shoulder injuries.

OUCH: Tony McRae fell while trying to break up a pass, and receiver Cody Core landed on the back of the cornerback's right leg. McRae limped to a cart and was taken off for an exam.

The secret was out pretty quickly.

A week before the 2015 playoffs, the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers invited prospect Eeli Tolvanen to skate with them to see about signing him for the following season. He stood out among older players on a first-place team.

”This little 15-year-old kid from Finland who was about 5-foot-6 at the time, he came to that practice and you could tell he was an elite playmaker,” now-New York Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk said. ”When he was doing that at that age, we could tell almost right away.”

Tolvanen now looks like a Finnish Mozart on ice, a child prodigy who reaches the next level of hockey faster than anyone expects. On the verge of turning 19 Dallas Goedert Jersey , Tolvanen for his next masterpiece could be playing a meaningful part in a playoff run for the NHL-leading Nashville Predators, based on the range of his experiences already.

”His growth just step-by-step happened quicker than most people see,” said Jay Varady, Tolvanen’s coach in Sioux City. ”He’s just been successful at a really young age in really tough challenges.”

At 17, Tolvanen led his team and tied for eighth in points in a USHL full of 19- and 20-year-olds, went 30th in the draft last June to Nashville and decided to go home to play professionally for Jokerit in the Kontinental Hockey League. Contract talks with the Predators began on draft day and continued as Tolvanen set the KHL scoring record for an 18-year-old and rarely looked out of his depths.

Unlike when Sioux City got a first impression of Tolvanen and thought it a no-brainer to give up its first-round pick to sign him, Jokerit general manager and Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, Tolvanen lit up Finnish junior leagues, but this was a different level playing against men.

”Since the first day, everybody was pretty clear that this guy is hardly a kid,” Kurri said. ”Everything went smoothly.”

Tolvanen led Finland in scoring at the world juniors twice and tied for second in points among all players at the Olympics as one of the youngest players in the tournament. Before and after the Olympics, he filled up highlight reels in the KHL and impressed Jokerit staff with more than just his shot.

”He’s more like a well-rounded player than many people maybe understand at the moment,” coach Jukka Jalonen said. ”He can defend excellent, he’s really physical, he hits hard Adidas Artemi Panarin Jersey , he has good vision on the ice. He can pass the puck over and shoot it, and he can play defense. He’s a very sound player.”

Pionk didn’t see Tolvanen’s marksman-like shot in the spring of 2015 because a growth spurt hadn’t happened yet. Two years in the USHL playing under Varady allowed Tolvanen to grow and adapt his game to an ice surface smaller than those in Europe while learning English and American culture.

”It was really just Eeli’s commitment to becoming a pro,” Varady said. ”He wanted to come over here, he did want to learn the language. He wanted to challenge himself on the smaller rink, tighter-checking game than maybe under-20 in Finland.”

Tolvanen’s depth of experiences from the USHL to the KHL and the Olympics could speed up his learning curve in the NHL. He averaged more than 12 minutes in his first two games and was quick to get over the enormity of his leap to the next level.

”Most of the nerves went away after the first shift,” Tolvanen said.

Before the organization’s top prospect debuted, Predators coach Peter Laviolette said he hoped it was a seamless transition and pointed out that Tolvanen could simply fit in instead of carrying the load. Laviolette saw a jump in Tolvanen’s play from Game 1 to 2 and expects the improvement to continue.

”He looked like he was skating better, more competitive, more confident with the puck,” Laviolette said Sunday in Tampa. ”Every game he plays, I think he’s going to get more and more comfortable with the speed of the game, with the level of competition.”

Other young Finns have raised the level of competition in the NHL, from Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov to Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen. Kurri thinks those players succeeding and playing a full season against grown men in the KHL readied Tolvanen for this.

”He was facing tough games night after night,” Kurri said. ”He’s a fast guy but he’s pretty strong – strong in his skates Sam Hubbard Jersey , too. A lot people are surprised (by) that. He can play physical game. He can hit, too, and he wants to. I think this year really helped (him) to be a better player when he started facing the KHL teams night after night.”

Joining fellow Finns Pekka Rinne, Juuse Saros and Miikka Salomaki should help Tolvanen, the third-youngest player in the NHL this season. Though judging from his experience with Jokerit and Finland’s national team, he fits in with teammates of all ages.

”He gets well along with older guys, and they love Eeli and how he handles himself on and off the ice,” Jalonen said. ”He’s quite a laid-back presence. He’s quite cool, quite patient under the pressure and he doesn’t panic. I think he’s matured as he’s aged.”

As Tolvanen ages and sharpens his all-around game, he is expected to be part of the Predators’ long-term future with Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban. He already stands out and has plenty of room left to improve.

”He do.