The Detroit Lions report to Allen Park, Michigan, at various points this week to start the 2017 season -- rookies early in the week and veterans on July 29 leading up to the first day of practice on July 30. To get you ready for that, we'll give a little bit more insight into each position group as camp gets ready to get going throughout the week.
Now, we'll look at tight ends.
Players: Eric Ebron, Darren Fells, Michael Roberts, Brandon Barnes, Khari Lee, Robert Tonyan, Cole Wick.
Roster locks: Ebron, Fells, Roberts.
It's all about Ebron: This is a huge year for the former first-round pick. The franchise picked up his option so he's theoretically with the team until after the 2018 season, but a strong season could result in a contract extension for the soon-to-be-father. This might seem blasphemous to a certain portion of the Lions fan base, but it is not Ebron's fault the Lions selected him before Odell Beckham Jr., Taylor Lewan, Aaron Donald, Ryan Shazier, Nick Martin, C.J. Mosley and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix -- all of whom have already made at least one Pro Bowl. Based on his improvement every year, if Ebron stays healthy he has a chance to put up numbers that might get him Pro Bowl consideration. He's a prime candidate for a breakout year. If that happens after a season where he had 61 catches for 711 yards and one touchdown in 13 games, then that could bode well for the Lions. If he doesn't have a standout season, it'll leave the Lions figuring out their future at the position.
Better blocking should come: The Lions signed Fells because he's one of the better blocking tight ends in the league and can be a red zone threat at 6-foot-7. He's a massive human with agile footwork from his days playing professional basketball. Considering Detroit's issues at left tackle with Taylor Decker's shoulder injury, having a premier tight end blocker like Fells should lead to more two tight end sets and some help for whoever wins the left tackle job until Decker returns. That brings value to Fells and a good pairing with Ebron.
Is Roberts the future: While the Lions have Fells this year, Roberts is the potential future at the position. Taken in the fourth round this year out of Toledo, his 6-foot-5, 270-pound frame should make him a strong in-line candidate for the future. Detroit can develop him, too, as long as Ebron and Fells stay healthy. That should put him in line for a larger role with the team in 2018 -- or perhaps at some point during 2017. He'll have an immediate role on special teams and has good enough hands that he could end up as a threat as a pass-catcher at some point during his Lions career.
Could the Lions keep four at the position: This is one of the more intriguing questions of training camp. If Detroit plans on using more two tight end sets, there might be value in keeping four tight ends on the roster. There's also a chance that the talent level at the position could dictate it. Neither Fells nor Roberts are an obvious backup to Ebron's skill set, so holding on to Cole Wick as the No. 4 tight end could be a possibility. A name to watch here is Robert Tonyan, an undrafted free agent out of Indiana State. His size (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) is intriguing and he caught my eye occasionally during the spring. He's a player I'll be paying attention to because Detroit has a history of keeping undrafted players at this position between Wick last year and Joseph Fauria in 2013 (albeit under a different regime). Here's a good place to address having three locks at this position. I'm pretty stingy with the roster locks, but each player has an investment and a defined role on the Lions, so it just seems pretty set unless injuries happen. But a possible No. 4 tight end spot? That's a wide open competition.
