Eric Ebron's Progression in Pittsburgh Will Pay Dividends
With five minutes left in the first half of what was an eventual Pittsburgh Steelers week three victory over the Houston Texans, tight end Eric Ebron was finally introduced to the end zones of Heinz Field.
Ebron, who tallied a total of 17 touchdowns between 2018-2019, knows a thing or two about finding pay-dirt. Yet through his first two games in Pittsburgh, Ebron posted just four receptions for 61 yards in scoreless efforts for the North Carolina product.
Yet on a third down with the Steelers trailing 14-3 in the winding minutes of the first half, Ebron came up big when it counted.
Following a season that saw Pittsburgh's offense rank dead last in red zone efficiency, the Steelers made it a point to grab playmakers that also doubled as threats inside the 20-yard line. Ebron was awarded a two-year/$12 million dollar deal to solidify the tight end position while Chase Claypool was drafted to bolster an already talented receiving corps.
While the Steelers have already improved from last year's 35% touchdown rate in the red zone, the team's current mark of 50% touchdown efficiency still leaves a lot to be desired. After three games to settle himself in black and gold, Ebron looks to assist in improving those numbers.
Week three saw a good start, as Ebron paced the team in targets (7), receptions (5), receiving yards (52) and touchdowns (1, with Smith-Schuster, also scoring) against the Texans.
Through four weeks of action (well, technically three, but you know), Ebron has solidified himself as Pittsburgh's primary tight end, out-snapping fellow tight end Vance McDonald (Ebron has played nearly 72% of snaps, McDonald at 55%).
Ebron's initial performance has also seen him lead McDonald in every major statistical receiving category thus far, although that comes as no surprise. McDonald has been utilized as both a blocking and receiving tight end frequently in his own right, as the Steelers are just one of 12 teams in the league to use two tight end sets over 25% of the time.
Yet it's been the slow but sure emergence of Ebron that's upgraded Pittsburgh's tight end room and ultimately the offense through three games.
Pittsburgh's 2020 season was temporarily halted after several members of the Tennessee Titans tested positive ahead of their scheduled week four match-up with the Steelers. With no preseason games to shake off any rust and establish somewhat of a rhythm, Ebron felt as if the early bye week presented itself as roadblock for the offense.
"We were just starting to get warm. Our offense was just starting to gel a little bit," said Ebron on Adam Schefter's podcast earlier this week. "It takes some time with an old, wily veteran quarterback back there to come back. It took a while for all of us to adjust."
As the offense begins to truly establish itself in 2020, the presence of Ebron will be greatly welcomed as he himself continues to glue with the rest of the Steelers' playmakers. If/when Roethlisberger finally feels comfortable and settled back in action, a plethora of weapons will be at his leisure, including Ebron.
It's early, but we've already seen the Roethlisberger-Ebron connection find fire. It's apparent Ebron will be a pivotal player both in red zone opportunities and elsewhere on the field as well. If Week 3 was any indication of where Ebron's at, his continued progression in Pittsburgh adds another layer to an offense with so much potential.
Donnie Druin is a Staff Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
