ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- He’s healthy now, perhaps healthier than any other time in his NFL career. And that, more than anything, is what frustrates Detroit Lions receiver Ryan Broyles.

After the continuous cycle of injury-rehab-kind of healthy-injury throughout his first two seasons in the league, he feels better than he ever has.

And the Lions’ 2012 second round pick still hasn’t seen the field.

“This is the best I’ve felt, you know, so it’s like I want to be on the field,” Broyles said. “I think in the years past, if I was sitting out week two, three, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal because I wasn’t as healthy.

“But I’m pain-free now so I am just chipping away every day trying to get better and that’s all I can really do right now.”

Broyles understood this might happen even during the preseason. He spent the entirety of training camp working with the backups and played deep into the final preseason game – typically a time reserved for players who will be out of a job 48 hours later.

Yet he had a strong preseason and showed he was healthy, which was a major point of emphasis for the Lions retaining him for a third season. Unlike the past two years, where he was coming off a major injury any really unable to participate in training camp, he almost had to this year to show his worth.

And his health.

After two ACL injuries and an Achilles injury, he finally showed he was healthy. He showed the explosiveness -- or most of it, anyway -- that he had at Oklahoma. But he also has a different role on the roster now.

The Lions signed Golden Tate in free agency. They are trying to turn Jeremy Ross into a third receiver instead of just a return specialist. And those two players are a large reason why Broyles has been inactive the first two weeks of the season.

He isn’t complaining. He understands his situation. Still, it's frustrating.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Broyles said. “I’d be lying if I just sat here and said that it’s OK. I feel like I can help the team. I feel like I showed a little bit in the preseason but they have to do what’s best for the team and they are going to put those guys out there that they think are going to help them win.”

At some point, that could be Broyles. Now healthy, he insists he’ll be ready if it happens after he caught 30 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns his first two seasons. It is unclear, though, when that will happen.

Broyles says he hasn’t asked. He’s focused on providing good looks on Detroit’s scout teams. He hasn’t been told, either, and Lions coach Jim Caldwell had no specific timetable.

“We anticipate at some point in time he’ll be able to help us,” Caldwell said. “We’ll see. Could be this week, could be next week, could be the week after.”

Until then, Broyles will continue to do what he has been doing: Staying healthy, learning and biding his time until he can show his NFL capability.