Ryan Broyles Released by Lions: Latest Comments and Reaction

Three years after selecting Ryan Broyles with the hope he could become an elite second receiver next to Calvin Johnson, the Detroit Lions are moving on. Broyles posted a thank-you note on his Twitter account Monday, ostensibly confirming his release:

Broyles is officially a free agent after clearing waivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

NFL teams have to cut their rosters down to 75 players by 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 1. Releasing a player of Broyles' talent during the 75-man cuts, rather than a week from now when rosters need to be finalized, is a bit of a surprise, but it may allow the former Oklahoma product to latch on with another franchise. 

Broyles, 27, never had much of an NFL chance. A combination of injuries and the emergence of other receivers has limited him to 21 career games, during which he's made only 32 receptions. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Oct. 28, 2012, and he has seen his playing time precipitously drop each season. An ACL tear suffered during his final season at Oklahoma put him behind the NFL learning curve, and subsequent struggles to stay healthy have only made things worse.

The Lions have also made marked improvements at receiver since Broyles' arrival. Golden Tate emerged in 2014 as one of the very best second receivers in football, posting 99 receptions for 1,331 yards and four touchdowns. Detroit has also added veteran Lance Moore and should get contributions from young players Jeremy Ross and Corey Fuller.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Broyles asked the franchise for his release. Head coach Jim Caldwell spoke on the decision Saturday, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

"

He's a good player now. The thing about it, with him or whomever else out of that receiving corps, I think everyone knows it's a very, very tight race, and there's going to be some good football players that we have to let go. We can't keep them all. That's just not the way it works, so we have to make a decision on what best suits us at this particular time, what we think puts us in the best position to win, make our decision and move on.

"

Birkett gave his opinion as to why general manager Martin Mayhew would grant Broyles' request for his release:

Given his second-round pedigree, one would think a team would take a flier on Broyles once he clears waivers. It's possible he could be into another team's camp and on the field by Thursday night's preseason contests—even if it's in limited action. Teams are always willing to take gambles on talent, and Broyles might still have something to show at the NFL level.

It just won't be in Detroit.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.