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Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday to repair his broken arm, according to head coach Jim Schwartz. It turns out that Burleson broke both of his bones in his forearm in his early Tuesday car accident, and the doctor who repaired his broken leg last year will perform this surgery.
For now, the Lions don't plan on putting Burleson on injured reserve. Their plans could obviously change following the surgery, but Schwartz said on Tuesday that Burleson "will be back at some point." Schwartz also said that Burleson is going to travel with the team and be in the locker room while he recovers.
How will the Lions replace Burleson on the field? Assuming they don't trade for anybody, Schwartz plans on filling Burleson's role with Patrick Edwards and Ryan Broyles, who are both "trending well." (Edwards has to recover from an ankle injury first, though.) Also, look for some running backs and tight ends to help fill the void as well.
Burleson's spirits are "understandably low," according to Schwartz, but luckily he only broke his arm. Schwartz indicated that Burleson was lucky to not suffer a worse injury in the crash, so the fact that a return later this season is even on the table is the silver lining here.