Lions release WR Ryan Broyles

The Detroit Lions have released veteran wide receiver Ryan Broyles during the team's first wave of cuts after three injury-filled years with the franchise.

Broyles, who announced Monday on Twitter that he had been released, had been in a tight receiver battle with a multitude of players with the Lions, but he rarely received reps with the first team, including none during Detroit's third preseason game on Friday.

The Lions had taken Broyles in the second round of the 2012 draft out of Oklahoma, where he set the since-broken FBS record for career receptions with 349. The Lions took Broyles even though he tore his left ACL during his final season with the Sooners.

Then Broyles tore his right ACL during his rookie year with the Lions and tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg in 2013, his second year with the franchise. He returned before the 2014 season, made the Lions and played sparingly throughout the season, even though he was healthy.

He entered Lions camp this season on the final year of his rookie contract in contention for a receiver spot along with Corey Fuller, Jeremy Ross, Lance Moore, TJ Jones and Greg Salas. It quickly appeared he had fallen behind at least Fuller, Ross and Moore on the depth chart.

"It's just one of those deals, you make plays and you hope it works out for you," Broyles said during the early days of training camp about trying to make the roster. "Like last year, I don't want to go back to it, but you make plays in the preseason and you get rewarded. So hopefully it's the same thing this year."

Broyles mostly played late in preseason games this season, well after the starters had wrapped up for the night.

During camp, he told ESPN he had been living on approximately $60,000 a year to help prepare for his career following football.

In his Detroit career, Broyles played in 21 games, making 32 catches for 420 yards and two touchdowns. Almost all of that production came during his rookie year in 2012.