Ryan Broyles is ready for the spotlight. The Detroit Lions wide receiver is being placed into the starting lineup rather quickly after a freak accident has left the team short handed at the position. Nate Burleson has been lost for some time after breaking his arm in a car accident early Monday morning. Now scrambling to replace him with limited depth, Broyles is the next-best option.
Broyles was not supposed to be a starter this early in the year. The second-year receiver tore his ACL in December of last season. The Lions were hoping to ease him back into action slowly in hopes of having no set backs. However, that is no longer an option, but Broyles is ready for the spotlight on the field.
"I'm ready to go out there and just produce," Broyles said, via DetroitLions.com. "Get my adrenaline going like last game and get my feet wet a little bit and I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."
Broyles saw limited action on Sunday against the Washington Redskins. He was active on just 17 snap counts, finishing with three catches for 34 yards. Broyles believes that little bit of action has really helped him clear the mental hurdles he was facing after the knee injury.
Broyles will now receive a bulk of the receiving load not given to Calvin Johnson. Tight end Tony Scheffler and Reggie Bush will also be used heavily in the passing game as well. While the Lions do have options, they are exploring trade options with other team.
Tim Twentyman, the Detroit Lions beat writer, reports that the Lions have talked with multiple teams about a possible trade. The most obvious option is Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns. The team has denied the wide receiver being available, but if presented with the right offer, they will likely let him go. The Browns second receiver, Greg Little, also remains an option for Detroit.
Cleveland will likely request a lot in return for Gordon considering he is their best offensive performer right now. They received a top draft pick for Trent Richardson and will likely request something along the same lines for Gordon. Little will come cheaper. A late-round pick might be all that is needed to get the receiver.
Kenny Britt could also be an option for Detroit. The Tennessee receiver has fallen out of favor with the team as they give Justin Hunter increased action each game. While general manager Martin Mayhew is looking into all options, he is not panicking about replacing Burleson. As of now, quarterback Matthew Stafford does not expect anything to change despite the injury.