Lions announce release of former top-10 pick Eric Ebron

The Detroit Lions are pulling the plug on the Eric Ebron experiment after just four seasons. The team announced on Wednesday that it is releasing the former first-round pick after failing to find a trade partner ahead of the start of free agency.

To say that Ebron was an enigmatic and inconsistent performer during his four years in Detroit would be an understatement. He has put up 114 receptions for 1,285 yards over the past two seasons. But with that came hands of stone and an inability to help Detroit in the red zone.

A top-10 pick out of North Carolina back in 2014, Ebron was set to count $8.3 million against the cap in 2018. By releasing him, the Lions clear all of that cash from their salary cap.

Still only 24 years old and with a tremendous amount of upside, there’s going to be a strong market for Ebron’s services. It just won’t be at north of $8 million per season.