ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Before his return to the lineup, Eric Ebron didn’t feel like talking too much. He offered the media one question last week, talked about how the Lions were getting the pieces of their offense back together, and didn’t have much else to say.

He was, in some ways, trying to let his play speak for him.

The Detroit Lions' first-round pick -- No. 10 overall -- has had some issues this season. He struggled picking up the playbook and the offense early on, as many rookies would do. He wasn’t seeing many snaps early behind Joseph Fauria.

Then his hamstrings started to bother him, knocking him out until last Sunday against Arizona. Then he returned and saw a good amount of work for one of the first times this season. Ebron had four catches for 22 yards against the Cardinals, and had another reception wiped out by a penalty.

It was a decent sign in his return to a rookie season that has started slow for him.

"With him, he came along," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "He played a lot more comfortable at his position, and I do think that down the stretch he’s going to be able to kind of stretch the field for us from his position.

"Not only (that) but give us some big plays as well."

That is why the Lions drafted Ebron in the first place -- to be a field-stretcher with big-play capability, and to take even more pressure off Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and the rest of Detroit’s offense. So far, Ebron hasn’t been used that way, averaging 8.93 yards a reception and only 9.17 yards per target.

But as he gains more comfort, the Lions might send him downfield more often. Despite his injury and a lack of usage early in the season, Ebron is still fourth among rookie tight ends in yards (125) and third in receptions (14). He trails the Jets’ Jace Amaro (34 catches, 291 yards) and Tampa Bay’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins (19 catches, 205 yards) in both categories, and is behind Green Bay's Richard Rodgers in yards (136).

That Ebron returned to his similar level of routes before the injury -- he ran 24 against Arizona, tying a career-high -- is another signal the Lions are gaining more confidence in their rookie. Another good sign: he caught every pass quarterback Matthew Stafford threw to him. This season, he has only dropped one of his 24 targets.

Add in that Fauria played only four snaps Sunday even though he was also healthy, and it is becoming clear the Lions are starting to view Ebron as the tight end they are going to use down the stretch.