When the Detroit Lions drafted Titus Young out of Boise State last year, the pick was made mainly because of his skills as a wide receiver. He also has skills on special teams, although we didn't get a chance to see them last year. The reason for this is because Young spent most of training camp injured, so the Lions were more concerned with making sure he was ready to go as a receiver, as Jim Schwartz explained earlier this week.
This year, with Young coming off of a solid season at receiver, it's possible he could also get a look as a returner. While the Lions do have Stefan Logan, Schwartz noted that the rule changes to kickoffs limited how many opportunities Logan got to really make an impact on the game.
"Because of the changes to the kickoff rule, the number of kick returns went down," Schwartz said. "I don't want to say the value of that position went down, but that person got less opportunity to make an impact on the games. And that was something Logan was very good at."
Schwartz made sure to point out that Logan hasn't been "devalued," but he mentioned that Logan's role was limited. That doesn't mean the Lions will just move on from him, but perhaps if Young gets a chance and shows he can be a good returner, it would make a possible decision to free up a roster spot by parting ways with Logan easier. At the very least, it's something to keep an eye on once training camp arrives.
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