Lions Sign Clay Harbor, Cut Orson Charles

The Lions shuffle the tight end deck, adding Clay Harbor

If it’s Tuesday it must mean an active transaction wire, and this week is no exception. The Detroit Lions signed Clay Harbor.

#Lions, in need of veteran depth at TE, agreed to contract terms Clay Harbor, source said.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 4, 2016

In the corollary move, the team said goodbye to Orson Charles.

Clay Harbor is a seven-year, 6’3” and 253 pound veteran from Missouri State. He most recently played with the New England Patriots, though he has bounced around since 2010.

Harbor spent three years in Philadelphia, the team which drafted him in the fourth round, and three more in Jacksonville. He has been a part-time starter.

His best season came in 2014. Harbor hauled in 26 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown in starting half the year for the Jaguars.

Known as a receiving specialist, he did not catch a pass in New England this year. The Patriots cut him on Monday as they needed a roster spot for Tom Brady and Rob Ninkovich, both of whom returned from suspensions.

What does this mean?

For the Lions, Clay Harbor is pass-catching insurance with a higher ceiling and marginally better blocking than the departed Charles. Starting tight end Eric Ebron continues to battle several maladies, and he has left three of the four games this year for at least one play with an injury. Ebron continues to recover from a foot/ankle injury still lingering from training camp, too.

There is a decent chance Harbor usurps Cole Wick as the second receiving TE behind Ebron. He is a much more fluid athlete and has far more experience running routes against NFL defenses. It will be interesting to see which of the reserve tight ends–Harbor, Wick or Khari Lee–is the gameday inactive against the Eagles.

While Clay Harbor did spend three seasons in Philly, the Eagles barely have any players, coaches or scouts left from his time there. In other words, this is not a “competitive advantage” type of move.