Should the Colts extend Ebron?

[ManningGM]

I hope we re-sign him. He's a clutch target in Madden.

[The Fish]

I wouldn't want to overpay. It's hard not to weigh those routine plays where he drops it against some amazing TD grabs. I think Ballard will wait on seeing more before he rounds out a number in his head that's right. It's not hard to see someone else wanting to give him a big contract.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

If they can get another playmaker at receiver I can’t imagine the season Ebron will have. Especially with Doyle back. They will have so manny mismatches with having two wide receiver targets.

[Calmack]

15 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

If they can get another playmaker at receiver I can’t imagine the season Ebron will have. Especially with Doyle back. They will have so manny mismatches with having two wide receiver targets.

I doubt it will be better than this year. I am willing to bet he won't have a better year than the one he just did. He managed 750 yards and 13 receiving TDs by being force fed targets because the only other threat was Hilton. Those TD numbers are aweosme, but I don't see them being replicated. Having other capable pass catchers will not lead to an increase in targets for Ebron. His efficiency with 110(?) targets was 750 yards and 13 TDs. Don't expect as many targets this time around if we get another playmaker. 

[DougDew]

6 minutes ago, Calmack said:

I doubt it will be better than this year. I am willing to bet he won't have a better year than the one he just did. He managed 750 yards and 13 receiving TDs by being force fed targets because the only other threat was Hilton. Those TD numbers are aweosme, but I don't see them being replicated. Having other capable pass catchers will not lead to an increase in targets for Ebron. His efficiency with 110(?) targets was 750 yards and 13 TDs. Don't expect as many targets this time around if we get another playmaker. 

That's a good point.  Ebron gets targets, in part, because of a lack of other reliable receivers.  Effectively, he was our #2 last season.  As that role is replaced with a more traditional WR, and an effective option at the opposite spot in Doyle remains healthy, it would tend to lead to Ebron having less productive stats, IMO.  Another reason to wait until next year to extend.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

If we have another reciever that requires attention Ebron will have a linebacker on him. That is a huge mismatch. You can only cover so many.

[Dark Superman]

I love Ebron as a solid #2 and the guy was a TD machine but it would be wise to wait until after next season to extend him. I highly doubt he catches double digit TD's again, especially if Doyle can stay on the field. If we extended Ebron before next season, we would have to pay him top 5 TE money and I'm not comfortable with that. He still drops a lot of easy passes and to me isn't a true #1

 

[Calmack]

2 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

If we have another reciever that requires attention Ebron will have a linebacker on him. That is a huge mismatch. You can only cover so many.

Ebron already plays with LBers mainly covering him... 

His position gets covered by a LBer or safety or both. Happened this season and will happen again next season. 

[Jdubu]

10 hours ago, Nesjan3 said:

LOL ok i get it people love Ebron i do to, im leaving this thread after saying this. Ebron was an awesome addition and i wan't him back, broke Clarks TD record thats saying something...BUT he did have a lot of drops !

I can agree with this. Ebron has been a very nice addition, and he wasn’t just a cheap priced FA that did some nice things, he cost a little bit of cash. He is here cheaper than the production he provided for sure this year. 

 

My my concern is the drops he has had, the ones not contested and wide open. He has to clean those types up. The ones he has someone fighting for the ball and they get dropped, ok but those like the ones he dropped in the first series of our last playoff game, those are not top 5 TE money type guys. 

 

I think the team team will have to decide how they are going to build their offense. If we are going to keep TY, look for Cain to take that #2 role and pick up another high pick at WR to challenge that #2 spot, is keeping an 8 million/yr type 10-12 TD non blocking TE on the roster worth the cap space and cash cost? I don’t know that answer and neither will anyone on this forum. CB has a player roster design that he has in mind and where those big dollars will be allocated to. If Ebron was any degree of a blocker, the concern with the drops wouldn’t even be in the equation but when your high production profile is making the catches, you better catch those uncontested balls and probably even the contested one that are mild in nature. That’s my take on it, I’d probably wait until he plays out next season and see what you have in Cain and any other possible draft/FA pickups. If her accepts another contract that is reasonable on both sides, understanding that his blocking skill set offsets his red zone skill set to a degree and that doesn’t create a contract that reflects a top 5 pay scale. 

[Jdubu]

8 hours ago, The Fish said:

I wouldn't want to overpay. It's hard not to weigh those routine plays where he drops it against some amazing TD grabs. I think Ballard will wait on seeing more before he rounds out a number in his head that's right. It's not hard to see someone else wanting to give him a big contract.

If we end up letting him hit the open FA market and he takes a big contract somewhere, we get a comp pick for him as well. Could be as high as a 3rd but probably a 4th but he will garner some high money contracts and if he repeats as a pro-bowl guy, I’d bet it goes to a 3rd rd comp. I’d take that + cap dollars for defense + younger talent on a rookie deal. You get 2 players to look at for much less money. 

[Jdubu]

8 hours ago, Calmack said:

I doubt it will be better than this year. I am willing to bet he won't have a better year than the one he just did. He managed 750 yards and 13 receiving TDs by being force fed targets because the only other threat was Hilton. Those TD numbers are aweosme, but I don't see them being replicated. Having other capable pass catchers will not lead to an increase in targets for Ebron. His efficiency with 110(?) targets was 750 yards and 13 TDs. Don't expect as many targets this time around if we get another playmaker. 

He may not get the high number of passes in between the 20’s but I’d almost bet his catches go up inside the red zone and his TD count is near the same or higher. That’s where CB will have to evaluate his money worth. Ty for chunk plays of 20+, Doyle to get the first downs and Ebron to catch the corner TD passes as well as hopefully some new guy getting enough chain/chunk passes to keep the other three guys open enough consistently. 

[Myles]

18 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

The argument in that article to do it now makes sense. If he has a better season then this season signing him now could be cheaper.

I think that is a long shot.  He had his best season and made the pro bowl.   He also didn't have Doyle to compete with and the team was lacking talent at WR.    I think he hit his ceiling.   I think signing him now would be a mistake. 

[ricker182]

I'm not sold on him.  

  

He's a mismatch, but go back and look at some film.  

  

He double clutches a high percentage of his catches.  

  

If I if it's the yips or small hands.   

It's concerning.

[Bluesmith]

When the ball is in the air headed to Ebron do you trust him to catch it?  If you are being honest with your self, the answer is no.  He got alot of redzone targets because he was filling our lack of WR2 role.  Once that position is upgraded, I feel Doyle and possibly Cox could start out targeting him as a true TE.

[aaron11]

good red zone receivers are rare, thats why ebron was second in tds this year

 

even if we do find another WR, they wont be as good as him at scoring tds

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 hour ago, Bluesmith said:

When the ball is in the air headed to Ebron do you trust him to catch it?  If you are being honest with your self, the answer is no.  He got alot of redzone targets because he was filling our lack of WR2 role.  Once that position is upgraded, I feel Doyle and possibly Cox could start out targeting him as a true TE.

Yes I do. Go look at his highlights from this year.

[Coffeedrinker]

2 hours ago, Bluesmith said:

When the ball is in the air headed to Ebron do you trust him to catch it?  If you are being honest with your self, the answer is no.  He got alot of redzone targets because he was filling our lack of WR2 role.  Once that position is upgraded, I feel Doyle and possibly Cox could start out targeting him as a true TE.

Depends where on the field it is.  between the 20s, I trust him but I'm not shocked when he drops it.  In the redzone.... 100% trust him.

 

Give him a 3 year/20 million extension. with 8 mill guaranteed and lock him up until he's 30

[Defjamz26]

I'd wait. Lot of drops. And who knows. The staff may take a guy late in the draft and like his upside after a year.

[Four2itus]

I realize it's just our own opinion, but when I see posts of TY or Ebron not being #1's at their position, I have to question the qualification process. 

[ThorstenDenmark]

I'd sign or extend his contract this off season, and make it front loaded, so it's cap friendly in the coming years.

Give him a 3-4 year extension.

 

Ebron loves indy and we def love having him, especially in the red zone.

 

If he delivers next season, he won't be cheap, and why not save some money for the future to sign our own players than once more find talent in free agency. 

[EastStreet]

IMO, yes. But I would not break the bank on him. He loves Indy and I'm sure he'd be a "friendly" extension. 

 

But in reality, the question should be Luck's to answer / dictate. There's no doubt they have chemistry. His targets may go down if we're smart enough to get a WR early in the draft, but even so, his RZ production is something we don't want to be without.

[horseshoecrabs]

The cost will dictate how long he stays with us, He has his moments. but the drop passes is a major concern in the clutch. Dole has been a work horse at TE. He was definitely missed at the end of our season run. 

[chrisfarley]

On 1/30/2019 at 5:35 PM, Nesjan3 said:

Thats fine... everyone is entitled to an opinion. Reality is though 9 drops in 16 games on the NFL level is not a small amount, some teams go 16 games without 9 drops.

Its not a small amount but look at him compared to others

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/stats?season=2018&week=100&category=RECEIVING&opp=0&sort=11&qualified=1&sortOrder=0&page=1

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

12 minutes ago, chrisfarley said:

Its not a small amount but look at him compared to others

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/stats?season=2018&week=100&category=RECEIVING&opp=0&sort=11&qualified=1&sortOrder=0&page=1

This is exactly what I have been saying. The ones with the smallest drops have had less targets for the most part. It’s not about the drops it’s about the %. Nine drops is a very tiny amount considered how many targets he gets. I guess NE shouldn’t pay Edelman and he had a drop problem also. Ebrons drops are so exaggerated on this forum.