Lions Insider

A position of strength at the outset of the season has suddenly become a position of need for the Lions with the news that rookie receiver Ryan Broyles has torn the ACL in his right knee and is lost for the season.

When Lions head coach Jim Schwartz announced the news at his weekly press conference on Monday, there were actually some groans from the media, knowing how hard Broyles worked to get back from from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered toward the end of his senior season at Oklahaoma.

"Ryan is a real hard-working player," Schwartz said. "He did a great job with his rehab last time. It will be a bump in the road for him, but it won't be something he can't overcome."

Broyles was injured on the Lions' second possession of the game after being tackled along the sideline for a three-yard gain. He was slow to get up and then limped across the field to the sideline.

Broyles finishes his rookie year with 22 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns. It is the second season-ending injury the Lions have had within their receiving corps. They lost veteran Nate Burleson to a broken leg at Chicago Week 7.

Broyles tweeted Monday: "Ill be back at it next year!"

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch are two examples of players on the Lions roster who have made successful comebacks from ACL injuries in both knees.

"There's been a lot of other players (to come back from it)," Schwartz said. "(49ers running back) Frank Gore is another player."

Schwartz said the team will make a roster addition at the position in the next couple days to compensate for the loss of Broyles and the continued inactive status of Titus Young, who Schwartz said is not even with the team this week.

The Lions have five healthy wide receivers on the roster: Calvin Johnson, Mike Thomas, Brian Robiskie, Kassim Osgood and Stefan Logan, though Osgood and Logan are primarily special team players.

"He has been a receiver," Schwartz said of Osgood, who has 44 career receptions and five touchdowns. "For our team his role has been special teams. But there's also been games when he's been out there. When we were coming back against Tennessee he was out there. Nate Burleson was out with cramps and Kassim was out there.

"If you're one of our active 46 you have to be able to do a lot of different roles and his main thing is special teams."

The Lions are likely to work out a number of free agent receivers in the next day or two and sign one, or possibly more, for the team's remaining four games.