The Detroit Lions released tight end Eric Ebron On Wednesday. Adam Schefter has reported the teams that Ebron plans to meet with, including one that might surprise Lions fans.
Scheduled travel itinerary for former Lions’ TE Eric Ebron: Carolina on Friday, Indianapolis on Sunday, followed potentially by New England, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2018
Yes, the perennial Super Bowl contender New England Patriots, led by future Hall of Famers Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, want to bring in Eric Ebron. The Patriots could be in need of a tight end if Rob Gronkowski retires. Even if Gronkowski comes back, Belichick loves to run two tight end sets, and Ebron could be a perfect complement to Gronkowski. But first thing is first, Ebron will visit the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts before New England “potentially” gets their chance.
Most fans look at the Patriots as the standard in the NFL and for good reason. The resume during the Belichick-Brady era is nothing short of a dynasty. Five Super Bowl championships, eight AFC Conference Championships, and winning the division 15 times in 17 seasons (including nine in a row). Belichick has a history of turning players career’s around. Most notably to Lion’s fans would be former linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy finished third on the Patriots with 73 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two passes defended. In two and a half years with Detroit, Van Noy only has one sack and 32 total tackles.
Eric Ebron’s tenure in Detroit got off to a rocky start. After being drafted by the Lions 10th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Ebron never could seem to find himself in the good graces of the fans. It almost seemed like it was destined for him to get a fresh start elsewhere. Especially, after it was reported that the Lions told Ebron they were looking to trade him.
For his career, Eric Ebron has played in 56 games (started 37 of them). He caught 186 passes for 2070 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, it did seem like Ebron turned the corner in the second half of the season after being benched by Jim Caldwell. Catching three of his four total touchdowns during that span including a 10 catch, 94 yard game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 13. Whether Ebron visits New England remains to be seen. However, you would have to wonder could Bill Belichick turn around a guy with a lot of potential and little results? It would be an unwanted deja vu for all Lions fans if that happened.
