The Lions are throwing in the towel on their 2014 first-round draft pick.
After failing to find a trade partner for Eric Ebron, Detroit released the fifth-year tight end, the team announced Wednesday.
A product of the previous regime which selected the North Carolina star over Odell Beckham at No. 10 overall, Ebron was due to collect $8.25 million had he remained on the roster beyond Wednesday afternoon's start of the new league year.
That's a lofty salary for an enigmatic player who too often mixed flashes of talent with untimely drops and mental mistakes.
On a positive note, Ebron is just 24 years old and has amassed more than 2,000 receiving yards in four NFL seasons. While he might never be the consistent seam stretcher and reliable red-zone weapon the Lions once imagined, he certainly has the potential to emerge as a quality starter in the right location.
Ebron will enter the open market ranked No. 54 on Around The NFL's Top 101 Free Agents of 2018.
