During the bye week that conveniently comes at the midway point of the season, we’ll review each Detroit Lions position group.
Major moves in the first half: Signed Kellen Davis and Jordan Thompson.
What has worked: Not a ton, as this has been an odd position for the Lions this season.
Brandon Pettigrew’s role has shifted dramatically, but he has fit in well when he has been called upon to be primarily a blocker. Even though Detroit’s run game has been suspect this season, he has held up well in that area.
Other than that, it has been tough going for the tight ends. Joseph Fauria has been hurt for a month. Eric Ebron has been injured and has been coming along slowly as he learns the full gamut of tight end roles in the NFL.
Before Ebron’s injury, though, he was making some improvements, and Fauria’s blocking is much improved from a season ago.
The other guys are just that ... guys. Davis and Thompson started the season either without a team or on a practice squad.
What has not: Pretty much everything else.
Even before the injuries to Fauria and Ebron, neither one had made a significant impact statistically. Ebron caught a touchdown pass against the Jets, but that is the position group’s only score of the season.
But injuries have destroyed the production at this position. Ebron was drafted to be a mismatch in the middle of the field, but he has barely been used in that capacity. Fauria was playing ahead of Ebron before he got hurt, but quarterback Matthew Stafford rarely looked his way.
Combined, Lions tight ends have 22 receptions for 220 yards, one touchdown and three drops. The drop numbers, though, could easily be higher because it is a subjective stat.
In eight games, the Lions’ tight ends have been targeted only 42 times.
Prognosis: This is a tough position to call because of how the group was being used before injuries decimated the offense.
Theoretically, both Fauria (ankle) and Ebron (hamstring) could have big second halves as they return from their injuries. But this offense doesn’t seem to focus too much on finding tight ends, especially with Golden Tate having a monster season and Calvin Johnson preparing to return soon.
This could leave the tight ends in a bind. Statistically, as long as Johnson, Tate and the running backs remain healthy, this is probably a position of less importance in the Lions’ passing game than in past years.
But there should be improvement if only by the law of averages considering all three tight ends Detroit planned on using this season spent at least one game watching due to injury.