Jim Schwartz: Troubled WR Titus Young could return to Lions

Troubled WR Titus Young could remain with the Lions, according to coach Jim Schwartz. (US Presswire)

When the Lions placed WR Titus Young on injured reserve with a knee injury in Week 14, it was assumed the second-year player’s many behavioral and disciplinary issues had seen him play his last game in Detroit.

But Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Monday that Young could earn a final chance to resume his career with the team if he can prove he has learned from his mistakes.

“[Young] is still on our roster and everybody that’s on our roster is still on our roster for a reason,” Schwartz said. “There’s a window [for him to return] there, and there’s a chance, there is a process involved there [before he could rejoin the roster].”

The revelation that Young could return to Detroit was surprising, given that his conduct saw him barred from the team’s facility on three occasions in 2012. He was sent away for a week during offseason workouts after allegedly punching teammate Louis Delmas and was also asked to leave the team’s facility after what Schwartz called “unacceptable” behavior during Detroit’s Week 11 loss to the Packers. He was banished from the team for a final time before the Lions’ Week 13 loss to the Colts.

Despite his transgressions, including a terse meeting with reporters on Nov. 30 that resulted in teammate Dominic Raiola referring to him in an expletive-laden tirade, Schwartz said the injuries that decimated the WRs this season showed that Young can be an asset to the team. 

“He’s a very talented player,” Schwartz said. “Obviously, he made a difference when he was on the field. Particularly with the way the [WR] injuries went, with Nate Burleson and then later [Ryan] Broyles, it affected the team not having him out there.”

Some of Young’s teammates say they have been in contact with him during his time away from the team, and WR Nate Burleson said he invited Young to lunch before he learned that the receiver was spending time in his home state of California. 

Burleson said he thinks Young’s talent can serve him well if he’s allowed to return to Detroit, but only if he accepts a complimentary role to star receiver Calvin Johnson. 

“[Young] is extremely competitive, which is good,” Burleson said. "I have a strong dislike for guys who come in and relax because they made it. He comes in; he wants to be the man. He wants to shine. He feels like he can help the team on any given play. He’s an ‘I’m-always-open’ guy. I like that. I like that about his personality.

“It’s just when you’re playing with C.J., you have to adjust. I mean, you never heard about [former Chicago Bulls’ player Scottie] Pippen saying, ‘Let me lead the team in scoring.’ It was Jordan’s show.”

It’s possible that Schwartz and Burleson could be extolling Young’s virtues in an attempt to make him seem more attractive to other teams as part of a potential offseason trade, but it’s difficult to imagine an NFL club willingly parting with draft picks or personnel to acquire a player who was labeled a distraction by several members of the Lions’ organization.  

If he returns to the Lions, Young faces the arduous task of convincing teammates, who did little to hide their contempt for his actions, that he is a changed man. For his part, Burleson says he hopes that Young has realized how fleeting life as an NFL player can be during his absence. Burleson says he hopes Young has changed his attitude enough to salvage his career.

“I think when you have time for self-reflection it puts things in perspective,” Burleson said. “Hopefully for T.Y., he comes back hungrier, just more level and ready to do whatever he needs to do to help the team. He’s a hell of a talent. We’ve just got to make sure he has the right mindset coming into 2013.”