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ESPN’s Adam Shefter has reported that the Detroit Lions are possibly looking to trade tight end Eric Ebron.
A name to watch in coming days: Lions’ TE Eric Ebron, whose name surfaced in trade discussions at last weekend’s combine, per league source. Lions were listening.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2018
Ebron was selected 10th overall in the 2014 NFL draft by the Lions. It is worth noting, he is only 24 years old. While a solid player in his first four years in the league, Ebron has not performed up to the expectations of the 10th pick.
He has never reached 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and his highest number of touchdowns in a year is only five. In his four seasons in Detroit, Ebron has a total of 2,070 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He was rumored to be traded before the trade deadline in 2017, but the Lions decided against it. Now, in his fifth year, it seems they may really move on from the former first-round pick.
The Ravens are in need of a pass-catching tight end. Would Ebron be a good fit in Baltimore? Secondly, how much would it cost the Ravens to acquire him?
Ebron struggled with dropped passes early on in his career, but he has since improved. He also struggled with blocking, but has gotten better with that as well. The Ravens do not need a blocking tight end. They have Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams who are primarily used in that aspect, so Ebron would not be relied upon heavily in such a role.
It’s been said that the Ravens really liked Ebron coming out of North Carolina, but he was selected seven picks before they were on the board. Baltimore selected 3x pro bowler C.J. Mosley with the 17th pick instead.
It’s unknown what Detroit’s asking price would be for Ebron at this moment, but it shouldn’t be anything crazy. I would assume a third-or-fourth-round pick could seal the deal. The remaining problem would be signing Ebron to a new contract, since he is on his final year of his rookie deal. The Lions picked up his fifth-year option in May of 2017, after Ebron was coming off of a career best season in 2016 (711 yards, 1 touchdown). According to Spotrac, he is due a little over $8 million in 2018.
The Ravens are currently in the mix of possible trade partners for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry. They would not be able to acquire both Landry and Ebron, both from a salary cap perspective and the possible draft picks they would have to give up in doing so. I don’t see a trade for Ebron happening between Baltimore and Detroit unless they fall through on Landry and miss out on the other top free agent receivers such as Allen Robinson. He will definitely be a name to keep an eye on in the coming week, however.