ALLEN PARK -- When the Lions decided to keep six receivers on this year's 53-man roster, Jace Billingsley wasn't one of them. The receiver out of Eastern Oregon came up short once more, but for the first time in three seasons, he wasn't coming back to Detroit's practice squad.
He went to the Patriots practice squad instead.
After hiring a general manager and coach from New England, the Lions have made a fascination out of scooping up former Patriots players and for once, Bill Belichick returned the favor by pulling in Billingsley. The team has just four wide receivers, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that Billingsley could eventually rise into a slot role there, which has featured lots of success for players like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.