Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson, Eric Ebron could play Saturday
By Phil Watson
All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson and rookie tight end Eric Ebron returned to practice for the Detroit Lions Friday, but coach Jim Caldwell reportedly wasn’t ready to decide if either would play Saturday night in the preseason opener at Ford Field against the Cleveland Browns.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ebron had missed two days of practice with an undisclosed injury and Johnson was excused from workouts Thursday for personal reasons.
"“There’s maybe a couple guys here or there (that won’t play), but we had to get through today’s practice and we’ll sit down with the coaches after this and go through every guy, every situation,” Caldwell said Friday."
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Ebron was the Lions’ first-round pick in May out of North Carolina and told the Free Press this week that he had already experienced the so-called “rookie wall.”
The Lions selected Ebron with the No. 10 overall pick after a junior campaign at North Carolina during which he caught 62 passes for 973 yards and three touchdowns.
In three seasons at Chapel Hill, Ebron logged 112 receptions for 1,805 yards and scored eight times.
Johnson, meanwhile, earned his third straight All-Pro nod in 2013 despite missing two games. He had 84 receptions for 1,492 yards and 12 touchdowns.
That came a season after he set an NFL single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards in 2012, catching 122 passes (tied for fourth-most in a single season in NFL history).
Johnson was the No. 2 overall pick by the Lions out of Georgia Tech in 2007.