When he announced that wide receiver Ryan Broyles would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and that wide receiver Titus Young was no longer “in the mix” for playing time, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said that the team would have to make a roster move to add depth at the position.
They made that move, although they didn’t sign a free agent following the familiar Tuesday tryout. Kris Durham, who caught passes from Matthew Stafford and played opposite A.J. Green at Georgia, has been promoted from the practice squad to fill the roster spot vacated by Broyles.
Durham was a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011, but played in just three games for the team before ending the season on injured reserve thanks to a shoulder injury. Durham had three catches in those games -- they actually all came in a Week Two loss -- and lost out in the battle for roster spots in camp this summer. The Lions signed him to their practice squad just after final cuts.
Durham’s height, Durham is listed at 6-6, has always been intriguing and he could get a chance to make an impression as the Lions play out the string. Mike Thomas is expected to see a bump in playing time with Broyles out of the lineup, but Durham knows the offense so he’d be ready for action if the Lions decide to give him any.