Eric Ebron had no idea when he left Ford Field early Monday morning if it would be for the last time with the Detroit Lions. He had just finished playing in the team's third straight loss, a game in which he was booed almost every time the ball headed in his direction.
He heard those boos. And then after Detroit's 20-15 loss to Pittsburgh, he openly wondered about his future with the team that drafted him No. 10 overall in the 2014. At the time, he seemed at peace with whatever happened.
If the Lions kept him -- great. If they traded him, he'd still be happy. Then, for the past two days, he waited -- at least until 4:06 p.m. Tuesday, when he tweeted the hashtag of the Lions to essentially signal he was going nowhere.
— Eric Ebron (@Ebron85) October 31, 2017
Whether this was the right call or not would depend on the offers Detroit did or did not receive for him. It's an argument, depending on those offers, that has multiple sides. It wouldn't have made sense to give away Ebron, who still plays a good amount of snaps for Detroit and is the team's best hope at a mismatch at tight end, unless there was actual value in return. There's also a thought, considering the toxic relationship the fans seem to have with Ebron combined with his inefficient play in 2017, that a breakup would have been best for both sides.
The Lions clearly did not believe they could get enough value in return to trade the tight end. So now that he's with the Lions for the rest of the season, Detroit must find a way to get him more involved in the offense. He appeared to play better against the Steelers, catching two passes for a season-high 58 yards, including a 44-yard reception on Detroit's final drive that gave the Lions a chance to win.
But as it always has been with Ebron, those types of plays don't show up consistently. With 15 catches for 160 yards, Ebron is on pace for his worst statistical season since his rookie year. His yards per reception (10.67) and average targets per game (4.42) are the lowest since his rookie year, too.
His drop percentage (9.7) remains high and his target share of 16.3 percent is the lowest of his career. He has caught a pass on only 7.9 percent of the routes he has run this year, also the lowest of his career. He's now splitting time with veteran Darren Fells, who was signed primarily as a blocker.
There is time for that to change, though. Ebron seemed frustrated with his performance throughout the first half of the year. Then, after his son, Oliver Dash Ebron, was born over the bye week, Ebron appeared to come back happier.
And Ebron at least hinted as Sunday night turned into Monday morning that he wanted to stay.
"I always like to stick it out with the team that invested in me," Ebron said, referencing chances he had to switch high schools and colleges. "If I'm here, I'm here. If not, still be a happy man doing what it is I got to do."
Ebron received his answer Tuesday. For now, at least, he's staying. Whether Detroit chooses to exercise the 2018 option the team picked up last year, one that would pay him $8.25 million, is still an unknown. That the Lions didn't trade him at least hints they believe he still has value, or at least more than a trade would have brought back in return.
Ebron has long had the potential to be a difference-maker in the Detroit offense. He has the athleticism for it. He has the size and speed at his position for it. It's just a matter of whether or not, over the final nine games of the season, the Lions and Ebron can figure out a way to use that consistently.
"He's a guy who can make plays for us," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "I think you saw the catch-and-run that he made. I just think he's got ability. We got to get the best out of him."
That hasn't always happened. The closest Ebron came to showing consistency was at this point last year, when he had three straight games of 70 yards or more and caught four or more passes in six of his last eight games of the regular season.
Those eight games gave way to bigger hopes for Ebron this season -- things that have never materialized. That led to the days of waiting to find out if he'd still be with the Lions for the rest of this season. He will be, so now the Lions and Ebron have to find a way to at least get him back to the type of production he showed 12 months ago.