Eric Ebron is not the Lions' No. 1 tight end. Not right now.
Darren Fells is the vastly superior blocker, a skill-set that Detroit prized when it targeted the tight end in free agency in March. But he's shown the last two weeks that he has become the far more reliable pass-catcher too.
That includes snagging fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 4 and 20 yards to make things interesting late Sunday against Carolina. Fells' emergence, though, continues to be a positive development for an offense that is starved for them, especially at the tight end position. Matthew Stafford targeted him twice against the Panthers, and both scored touchdowns. The week before that, Stafford targeted Fells five times against the Vikings. Four were caught, all of which achieved first downs, according to the story.