Can Eric Ebron build on his solid first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers? The man he’s training with this offseason is offering a resounding “yes.”
Rischad Whitfield, better known as “The Footwork King” sent out this tweet earlier saying he can’t wait to work with Ebron this summer.
Ebron sent back an emoji-filled reply.
Ebron trained with Whitfield last year after the Steelers signed him. In his first year of his two-year contract, Ebron put up a strong stat line of 56 receptions for 558 yards and five touchdowns on 91 targets. Those 91 targets were the most to a Steelers’ tight end since Heath Miller had exactly 91 in 2014. The last tight end to have more was Miller in 2012, when he cracked triple-digits at 101. As we’ve written before, Ebron became just the fourth Steelers’ TE to be part of the 50/500/5 club, joining Heath Miller, Eric Green, and Elbie Nickel.
With Vance McDonald retired and very little depth on the roster, Ebron may play an even more important role in 2021. Especially if JuJu Smith-Schuster leaves in free agency, making Ebron the best over-the-middle option for Ben Roethlisberger. It’s a stretch to say Ebron will be Roethlisberger’s top target like Whitfield’s tweet notes but it’s possible Ebron could crack 100 targets next season. It wouldn’t be the first time in his career; Ebron had 110 with the Colts in 2018.
Ebron’s time with Pittsburgh has been as-expected. Big plays down the seam, a true red zone threat but he’s coupled that with frustrating drops and poor blocking. Maybe “The Blocking King” would be the better trainer to work with over the next couple of months.
If you missed it, check out our season in review on Ebron we posted this morning. It’s a 20 minute video breaking down the good and bad of his season.
Ebron is far from the first Steeler to work with Whitefield. Past players to do so include Joe Haden and Le’Veon Bell. Around the league, he’s also worked with superstars like DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr, and Richard Sherman.
