It’s no secret the Cowboys have had a hole at tight end the last couple of seasons.
Replacing the likes of future Hall of Famer Jason Witten has been difficult, leading Dallas to even trying to replace Witten with…Witten. The results have been mixed since 2018, with Blake Jarwin showing flashes as a receiver, but no one tight end really taking the lead role.
With Witten clearly on the decline, and the organization likely having rightful questions around how much of the load Jarwin can carry, they could be in the market for a veteran free agent addition. And former Lions and Colts tight end Eric Ebron could do just the trick.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard announced that the team will likely “move on” from Ebron this offseason, making him one of the more attractive tight end free agents in recent memory. Of course, it hasn’t been all great for the 26 year old pass catcher.
The former first round pick had a disappointing start to his career with the Lions, but looked like the player he was expected to be during his 2018 campaign in Indianapolis. Ebron and Andrew Luck developed an instant connection, and Ebron put up career numbers, earning a Pro Bowl selection.
But following up his 66 catch 750 yard and 13 touchdown season in 2019 proved to be a tall task for Ebron, who fell back to his normal quiet touchdown production with just 3 for the season. The biggest reason for his production drop was injury, as Ebron was shut down in November due to a lingering ankle issue.
Whether or not Ebron can return to full health is yet to be seen, but he’ll have all offseason to recuperate for his next stop in the NFL.
On the Cowboys side of things this gets a bit more tricky, however. Seemingly every contributor to the 2019 team is entering free agency, and they’ll have to deal out some big money to guys like Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. Unless they can acquire Ebron on a bargain bin deal due to his injury, I’d be shocked to see them target him in this Spring.
And given how rare talented 26 year old tight ends are on the open market, it’s tough to imagine Stephen Jones will get the “team friendly” deal he’s looking for.
