ALLEN PARK >> Eric Ebron was back at practice Tuesday.
The Lions tight end had not worked since he was carted off the field in a training camp session at Ford Field on Aug. 6 after injuring his right leg.
While Ebron was on the field wearing pads and a helmet, he didn’t do much work in the portion that was open to the media.
It does, however, appear to be a step in the right direction for the team that has been missing its top two tight ends for weeks.
Tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who is coming off offseason ACL surgery, remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Coach Jim Caldwell would not offer an opinion on whether Pettigrew will start the season still on the PUP list.
“What can you expect in terms of when he’ll be ready, we’ll see. What do you expect in terms of what he can do, he’s big, strong, he’s proven he can block you on the run game,” Caldwell said of the former first-round pick. “He can catch passes for you. He’s caught a number of passes around here. He’s effective in that area and he’s a very good pass protector, so there’s certainly a lot of things he can do for us.”
It has presented a challenge for Matthew Stafford to get used to different tight ends including undrafted rookie Cole Wick and veteran Matthew Mulligan.
“We’ve had guys step in who have done a nice job,” Stafford said. “It’s been good for me to adjust to guys on the fly, and really just trust myself, put the ball where it needs to be put and I think those guys are doing a good job.”
Wick has been one of the rookie standouts all through training camp and has been getting plenty of rep with Ebron and Pettigrew sidelined.
Mulligan is more of a blocking tight end but also has run routes in the NFL>
“He’s big-time blocker – really good in the run game and pass game, he’s done a nice job catching the ball when we’ve thrown it to him too,” Stafford said. “He’s had a good camp, he’s a big physical guy.”
Cornerback change
Veteran cornerback Brandon McGee was signed on Tuesday while cornerback Keith Lewis was waived.
McGee was a fifth-round pick of the Rams in 2013. He played one game for the Giants last year and then was placed on injured reserve in October with a foot injury.
He was waived by the Cowboys on June 10.
It will be tough for him to come in so late and make the roster.
“It’s late, but he’s got an opportunity to learn,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “Most of the guys that you’ve seen that’s been in multiple systems can adjust pretty quickly, pretty rapidly. Where they can get in and be a part of what you’re doing, they just kind of have to translate the verbiage. There’s no huge defensive secrets or things that we’re doing that are so far from the norm that one that has been around as much as he has, can’t come in and catch on fairly quickly. So, I think it won’t take long to get him up to speed and then we’ll get him in there as much as we possibly can.”
Ins and outs
Also, Golden Tate who had missed practice with an undisclosed injury was back on the practice field Tuesday.
Safety Don Carey was also back at work after missing several practices.
Center Graham Glasgow remains out. Glasgow apparently was injured in the preseason loss on Thursday. He was wearing an orthopedic boot on Saturday and then was without it at Sunday’s practice.
Others who did not practice: safety Isaiah Johnson, tackle Michael Ola and tackle Corey Robinson.
Grandson a cheater
It’s always a big day when the new Madden NFL video game is released.
Jim Caldwell was not exactly rushing to the store on Tuesday to buy his copy.
The coach said he knows it’s popular but has never played it.
“My grandsons play it. I do know one thing, that they have a great feel for the league. They know every player because of that. … Joshua is into basketball (NBA 2K). He’s 6 years old, I’ll match him up with most teenagers because he’s pretty effective on that. He cheats once in awhile. He cheated me over the summer. He says he didn’t, but he did, on vacation, but nevertheless, the other games I have no familiarity with. That one only because of the fact he made me play (NBA 2K) with him, which I didn’t understand until I got on it and played with him. Like I said, ‘I think he cheated.”‘
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