The Detroit Lions have started offseason workouts and while Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley have come up in trade rumors this offseason, GM Martin Mayhew has said the team is not trading the stars, but another player in Joseph Fauria could move in a trade, as the team drafted Eric Ebron at tight end and signed back Brandon Pettigrew and some options include the NY Giants, Chicago Bears or Seattle Seahawks for the TE.
The Lions felt that Ebron was the best player on the board when they came up to select in the first round and rather than reach for a player, the team decided to add more strength to a deep position. The team signed back Brandon Pettigrew in the offseason and they also have Fauria in the fold and now they could look to make a trade if they have any takers for the tight end. Fauria didn't put up crazy stats last season, but he has amazing size and could be a huge red zone threat for any team. Last season he played in all 16 games and made 18 catches for 207 yards, but seven of those catches were for touchdowns and he averaged over 10 yards per reception.
Fauria has great size at 6' 7", 255 pounds and he showed that he can be a solid pass blocker as well and that could get some teams interested in making a move. The Lions are good either way, as they have Ebron now with Pettigrew and anything they get from Fauria is a bonus if they don't trade him and if they do, they are still deep at the position. Matthew Stafford runs a pass heavy offense and the more weapons he has the better and Ebron should be a big one, as he has size and speed as well as good hands coming out of North Carolina. Ebron could be used more as a split out receiver, but the Lions likely will also line him up on the line of scrimmage at the TE spot.
Fauria could want out himself, as the team likely has him slotted as the third tight end and that usually means not too much playing time. Fauria's size makes him a different situation, since he will be on the field for red zone situations, but with Ebron and Pettigrew being former first round picks, it means Fauria is not going to rise too high on the pecking order. The team is going to use him when they can and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said there could be situations when all three TEs are on the field at once.
The Giants likely won't give up much to make the deal since Jerry Reese isn't a man that values the TE position much, but the team needs more depth. The giants have Kellen Davis, Daniel Fells and project Adrien Robinson as well as Larry Donnell and undrafted free agent Xavier Grimble and adding someone like Fauria could be huge for the offense. The Bears lack depth as well and the Giants are looking to rebound from a terrible season in 2013 and adding another TE or receiver could be a solid option for Eli Manning as he learns a new offense.
