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Lions receiver Ryan Broyles catches a pass during OTAs.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- In the cut-throat world of the NFL, all players are fighting for their jobs all the time.

But some are always going to be more safe than others. Especially high draft picks. And as a second-round pick, Ryan Broyles has never really faced a serious battle for his job -- until, maybe, now.

The Lions have never carried more than six receivers on the 53-man roster under Jim Caldwell, and finished last season with five. Each of the five returns this year -- plus TJ Jones is back from injury, and Lance Moore was signed in free agency.

That means there are now five serious contenders vying for what amounts to three or maybe four jobs behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. And that's not including long-shot guys such as Andrew Peacock or Greg Salas.

What does Broyles have to do to win one of those jobs?

"Just got to make plays, man," Broyles said. "All you can do is make plays, and then you leave it in the coaches' hands."

If it's really that simple, Broyles is in good shape. Through two rounds of OTAs, the fourth-year wideout has been one of the offense's better players.

The sure-handed Broyles has caught almost everything thrown his way. He's won a good portion of his one-on-one matchups. He nearly hauled in one pass last week that was pulling him out of bounds.

And adding to his good month, Broyles' wife had the couple's first child, Sebastian Reid, over the weekend.

He credited his health for his growing comfort on the field.

"My body feels good," he said. "I'm in top shape right now, as compared to other years. I can't even compare it to other years."

Broyles suffered a season-ending ACL tear his final year at Oklahoma, then tore his other ACL as a rookie with Detroit. He ruptured his Achilles tendon the following year, making it three straight significant leg injuries, each of which cost him games and huge chunks of his offseason.

His career became consumed by a never-ending cycle of rehabilitations. It's tough to get any better like that.

But then Broyles was a healthy scratch for all but three games last season. And while that was bad for his career, it was a blessing for his health. For the first time in a long time, he can now say he's more than a year removed from injury and doesn't have to even think about rehabilitation.

Just about getting better. And that's made a difference.

"It's a huge relief," Broyles said. "I can just go home and relax, you know what I mean? I don't have to massage my body out, work here, work there, to recover from an injury. I leave practice pain-free, and hopefully it stays that way."

Broyles has been making plays in practice, which he hopes will be enough for him to win a job in the fall. But things are rarely that simple.

Consider last season, when Broyles was the Lions' leading receiver during the preseason, yet played only three games because he was buried behind Tate on the depth chart. They fill identical roles in the offense.

And Tate, who was a top-10 receiver in the NFL last year, isn't about to go anywhere. That casts some uncertainty on Broyles' role in Detroit.

But he can't control that stuff. He can only control how well he plays -- and lately, he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it.

"I'm just excited to be out here," Broyles said. "(The job battle) is really the last thing on my mind. I'm enjoying every second of this, being out here on the field during OTAs.

"Just coming out here and playing football. Thinking about everything else but my body, really, is the most important thing. Just coming out here and actually having fun."

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