Lions' Ebron carted off practice field with reported Achilles injury

Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron was carted to the locker room during a mock game held at Saturday's practice after suffering an apparent injury to his right leg.

He was in visible pain and grabbing at the back of his ankle area while down on the field, reported beat writers in attendance.

An official update on his status hasn't been provided, but early indications are that Ebron suffered an Achilles injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Losing Ebron for any extended period of time would be a substantial blow to a Detroit offense looking to stay on track following the retirement of Calvin Johnson.

Though Ebron's hasn't lived up to expectations over his first two seasons, the Lions have seemed to anticipate a major breakthrough for the former first-round pick heading into 2016.

Ebron, 23, entered training camp as the clear favorite to earn the lead tight end job. Brandon Pettigrew is still working his way back from the ACL tear that ended his 2015 season in December, and Tim Wright was placed on injured reserve after suffering the same injury during this year's OTAs.