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Lions receiver Nate Burleson broke his left forearm during an early morning traffic accident, but Detroit hopes he still can play again this season. (Associated Press)

ALLEN PARK -- Nate Burleson will miss a significant chunk of the season after breaking his forearm in two places during an early morning car accident, but the Detroit Lions retain hope he plays again this year.

Coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday afternoon that Burleson will not be placed on injured reserve "at this point."

Nate Burleson was off to a terrific start this season, hauling in a team-high 19 catches through three games.

"It's fortunate any time you're in a highway accident. There's potential for worse than broken bones," he said. "And he was fortunate in this case, and we're fortunate in this case, it wasn't more than that.

"We'll miss him the time he's out. We'll see how long that'll be, but it's not a career-ender, it's not a season-ender -- at least at this point."

[Related: Analysis of why TE Joseph Fauria could be called upon to replace Burleson]

Burleson broke the radius and ulna bones in his left forearm during a traffic accident at 2:25 a.m. on westbound I-696 in Farmington, a Detroit suburb. He reached for two pizzas that were sliding off the passenger seat of his GMC Yukon SUV and swerved into the median.

Burleson is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday. It was widely reported, including by MLive, that he would have surgery Tuesday.

He will return to the same surgeon who repaired his knee last year.

"(He's) understandably low," Schwartz said. "He was down. He'd just come off his best performance as a Lion.

"The thing about Nate is he's a tough guy, and he's been through a lot in his career. He was our Ed Block Courage Award winner. ... He's persevered through all of it and continued to play at a high level. We certainly expect him to do the same here, and we have confidence in his ability to do that."

[Related: One option Detroit could pursue is Cleveland WR Josh Gordon]

Burleson leads the Lions with 19 receptions, and also has 239 receiving yards. He was coming off his most productive game in Detroit, snagging six passes for 116 yards in a 27-20 win Sunday in Washington.

He hadn't had that many receiving yards in a game since he played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2007.

He's an important cog in Detroit's offense, as the only proven receiver behind star Calvin Johnson.

Asked if Ryan Broyles and Kris Durham were guys who would replace Burleson, Schwartz added Patrick Edwards to the mix and noted the tight ends and tailbacks could play the slot as well.

Detroit reportedly has inquired around the league about possible free agents and trades, indicating the team hopes to get Burleson back but also isn't prepared to stand pat.

"He was just getting into the swing of things, he was a big part of the offense, but it's no different than a guy having a high ankle sprain or a guy pulling a hamstring or anything else," Schwartz said. "We talked Sunday about how we're going to pick up for Jason Jones.

"Jason's a little different situation because he's going to be gone for the season -- has gone to IR -- but football teams are used to dealing with injuries on the field. This is a little different because it wasn't on the field."

Burleson is one of the foremost leaders on the team, both in the huddle and in the locker room. He speaks up when others don't, and when other players duck questions when adversity hits, Burleson is there to answer for their mistakes.

Schwartz, though, said Detroit won't miss that presence because Burleson will still hang around the locker room and will travel with the team.

"Nate will be back at some point," Schwartz said, "and when he does, he'll be a big contributor to our team."