Eric Ebron misses practice, added to Pittsburgh Steelers' injury report

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron was added to the Steelers’ injury report on Thursday, just days ahead of Pittsburgh’s Sunday afternoon contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Ebron was forced to sit out of Thursday’s practice, too, and the Steelers’ cited a lingering hamstring injury as the issue.

Friday’s practice should provide more clarity on Ebron’s availability for Sunday. Should Ebron be as much as a limited participant, it should indicate a step in the right direction against the Raiders. However, if Ebron is forced to miss another day of practice, the starting tight end could very well sit out Sunday and be replaced by rookie Pat Friermuth.

Ebron in Week 1 had one catch for 19 yards against the Bills, and he was only targeted twice in the Steelers’ decisive, 23-16 road victory in Buffalo. Friermuth, by comparison, a rookie tight end out of Penn State selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Steelers, caught his only target on the afternoon for a 24-yard gain.

Ebron, 28, is in his eighth NFL season, and his second with the Steelers. He was drafted out of North Carolina in the first round, with the 10th-overall pick by the Detroit Lions, where he would go on to play four successful seasons. While in Detroit, Ebron amassed 2,070 yards and 11 touchdowns as the go-to tight end for then-quarterback Matt Stafford.

After his four seasons with the Lions, Ebron moved to the Indianapolis Colts for two years, then in March of 2020 signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A 2019 Pro Bowl selection, Ebron has 340 career receptions for over 3,700 yards and 32 touchdowns.

A three-star recruit by most outlets out of high school, Ebron was rated among the top-25 tight ends for the Class of 2011. He committed to North Carolina, where he played three years, including two as the starting tight end. Over the course of his 112-reception, 1,805-yard, eight-touchdown career with the Tar Heels, Ebron was named a second-team All-ACC tight end in 2012, his sophomore season, and in 2013 he was a first-team All-ACC nod, along with a second-team AP All-American.

Ebron was joined on the Steelers injury report by four others, only two of which were dealing with significant ailments: linebacker Robert Spillane was held out with a shin injury, defensive tackle Carlos Davis was held out with a knee injury, and both quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster did not play due to coaches’ decision.