ALLEN PARK -- Ryan Broyles ruptured his Achilles tendon while fielding a punt in an Oct. 27 win against the Dallas Cowboys, ending his season.

Five months later, he was cleared by doctors to rejoin the Detroit Lions for the start of voluntary conditioning this week. And that's huge news for him.

The receiver has missed 16 games through his first two seasons in the league, and the Lions, who once thought Broyles would be a complement to Calvin Johnson, could be looking to revamp their starting lineup.

They already signed Golden Tate to be Johnson's No. 2, and now are expected to select a receiver in the draft. They haven't masked their high interest in Clemson's Sammy Watkins, the top receiver in the draft.

They dined with the Watkins family at Clemson's pro day, and hosted the receiver in Allen Park on Tuesday. Lions vice chairman Bill Ford was seen by MLive at the facility that afternoon, and NFL Network reported he met directly with Watkins.

Detroit would have to trade up to nab Watkins, a consensus top-five prospect. If a trade can't be executed, the Lions also have heavy interest in Texas A&M's Mike Evans, widely considered the No. 2 receiver in the draft.

That means Broyles' tenure in Detroit is at a crossroads. He needs to show he can be healthy and productive, or risk sliding down the roster. And being cleared to join his teammates for workouts this week is the first major checkpoint on his route back.

The next hurdle will be joining the Lions for on-field instruction with the new staff on April 22. That's the first chance coach Jim Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi will have to personally work with and evaluate their own players.

If Broyles can participate, it would give him a chance to show the new staff what he can do before Detroit finalizes its strategy for May's draft.