Detroit Lions Have Secret Weapon in Tight End Eric Ebron
By Dan Salem
Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions have a secret weapon in tight end Eric Ebron, as he morphs into the offensive weapon everyone expected him to be.
Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
It isn’t going to be easy for the Detroit Lions to compete this season in the NFC North. With the retirement of All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson, there will be a lot of production that needs to be made up. Part of that will fall on the shoulders of free-agent acquisition Marvin Jones, but Jones isn’t anywhere close to the same type of player. It will be a team effort to replace what Johnson brought.
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The tight end position has a large responsibility in this endeavor. Without beating around the bush, let’s get to the main crux of what should concern us at tight end. Is this finally the year when Eric Ebron becomes the player everyone thought he would be?
Ebron was drafted in the first round, 10th overall, of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was taken two picks ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. and a number of picks ahead of a couple other first-round receivers: Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin. Yet Ebron has started just 15 career games in his two seasons. He’s never topped 47 catches. He has been in a timeshare with Detroit’s other tight end, Brandon Pettigrew. I think that split needs to end this season for the Lions’ offense to have a chance of taking off, but I’m not sure it will or should.
Though Pettigrew is a former first-round pick in his own right, he is not a game-breaker or threat in the passing game like Ebron is…though he used to be. Pettigrew’s early seasons were actually far superior to anything Ebron has produced to this point. But the former is not that type of player anymore, entering his eighth career season. He is also coming off of an ACL injury that may cause him to miss the beginning of training camp.
That last point is what will surely have Ebron as the starter heading into Week 1, but that may only remain the case until Pettigrew is back healthy. At that point, the Lions may feel inclined to turn back to their more reliable, veteran stalwart. Pettigrew, after all, started every game he played in last season before going down.
Am I reading too much into this position battle? Maybe Detroit prefers to use Ebron in this role, feeling it best utilizes his abilities. But, to me, if he is going to ever become the piece this offense needs him to be, it starts with using him full-time at the spot. Timeshares only work if neither player has the upside to warrant a full allotment of snaps, and Ebron is a mismatch for defenses who has yet to exploit that advantage often enough.
DAN:
Matthew Stafford certainly needs a reliable tight end to keep his offense moving forward and improve upon a forgettable 2015 season. Ebron needs to continue improving, stepping up to fill his own shoes once and for all. Detroit’s receivers can only do so much and the running game needs its tight end to succeed as well. Pettigrew may be reliable, but he’s a known commodity at this point. Its time for Ebron to go next level and add a new dimension to the Lions’ offense.
The trend for Eric Ebron is a very positive one. Nothing in particular impresses you about Ebron’s stats over his first two seasons in the league, except for his improvement year one to year two. Ebron saw the football twenty more times and recorded twenty two more receptions in his sophomore season as compared to his rookie campaign. More importantly, he put up nearly 300 more yards and saw his average jump from 9.9 yards per catch to 11.4 yards per grab in his second season. Add to that four more touchdowns in year two and the trend is obviously a good one.
Ebron is going to assert himself in the league this season. The Lions need everyone to get better and I see no indication that Ebron won’t continue his rise up the statistical charts. If his trend continues, expect 850 to 900 yards receiving and ten touchdowns from the young tight end in 2016. Expect his targets to near 100 on the season and for him to secure the starting job once and for all.
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Its easy to forget that many young players need to learn from a veteran for several seasons. Ebron has been learning from an excellent veteran tight end and his numbers have improved accordingly. Very few players enter the NFL and shine in their rookie years.
I understand Ebron was a top 10 first-round pick and that comes with expectations. But considering the Lions had and still have Pettigrew on their team, they were afforded the luxury of time to develop Ebron as needed. He didn’t have to rush into a starting role. Now entering his third year, I fully expect Ebron to keep improving in an offense that desperately needs more fire.