Coming into the NFL, Eric Ebron had high expectations. He was already getting compared to the likes of Jimmy Graham and Jordan Cameron as the Detroit Lions drafted him to be their next-best offensive weapon. However, his professional career has gotten off to a rather quiet start. The tight end has just 38 yards on the year off three catches, seeing limited time on the field. The coaches intend for that to change.
Injuries are giving Ebron a chance to prove himself more in the offense. Joseph Fauria suffered a sprained ankle while Calvin Johnson has also been held out of practice. Depth is suddenly a slight issue for the Lions and head coach Jim Caldwell believes it is a perfect time to let the rookie take on more responsibilities going forward. Out of all the tight ends, Ebron has been targeted the most, but his stats remain low.
"The numbers have just changed in terms of the depth at that particular position," Caldwell said, via USA Today Sports. "You can anticipate that he's probably going to see a bit more because he'll take on Joe's role as well in terms of the particular personnel groupings that we'll use."
The Lions have some of the best outside receivers in the league. Johnson of course is a star and pairing him with Golden Tate has only made numbers go up for the two players with Matthew Stafford. Ebron understands the tight end targets have been low, but for a good reason.
"We have very good weapons on the outside, so there will come a time where our production comes in and then we start opening things up a lot more," Ebron said. "It just takes time."
The Lions are preparing to make Ebron a prominent player in Week 4 against the weak New York Jets secondary. Along with Brandon Pettigrew, the Lions can take a page out of the Chicago Bears playbook where tight end Martellus Bennett put up five catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Pettigrew believes Ebron has all of the talent to put up those kind of stats.
"He's done everything he's supposed to do," Pettigrew said. "He handles himself like a professional. Obviously, he has a big role; he accepts it."
Fantasy owners should take note that Ebron and Pettigrew could be serious sleeper picks this week. The Jets secondary could be one of the worst in the league and Stafford and company will feast off it.
