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The Detroit Lions' initial diagnosis of wide receiver Ryan Broyles' Achilles injury has been confirmed. Per Jim Schwartz, Broyles did in fact rupture his Achilles. He is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, and he is out for the rest of the season.
There's no word just yet on who the Lions will add to their roster when Broyles goes on injured reserve. They could bring back Patrick Edwards, who is currently on the practice squad, if they want to replace Broyles with another wide receiver. Or the Lions could simply leave the roster spot open for running back Montell Owens, who is set to return from injured reserve in the near future. That would probably make the most sense.
As for Broyles, this is the third year in a row he's suffered a serious injury. His final season at Oklahoma was ended early by a torn ACL, and the same thing happened last year in his rookie season with the Lions (he tore his other ACL). He spent this past offseason rehabbing again, and he only ended up playing in 6 games this year before rupturing his Achilles. He finished 2013 with only 8 catches for 85 yards.
Broyles' unfortunate luck with injuries has left the Lions with another hole at wide receiver. When they spent a second-round pick on him in 2012, the hope was that Broyles would become a big part of the offense, and that seemed to be happening last year. Now, however, after another serious injury, who knows if he will even be in their future plans at the position. Wide receiver was a big position of need even before he got hurt again, and it will be one of the Lions' top needs going into the next offseason.