Billingsley signed to Detroit’s active roster

Published 11:56 pm Saturday, December 31, 2016

Detroit wide receiver Jace Billingsley, who has spent the entirely of the 2016 season on the Lions’ practice squad, was signed to the team’s active roster in advance of Sunday’s season finale against the Green Bay Packers.

Billingsley, an undrafted rookie who was record-setting player at Eastern Oregon University, filled the spot of injured running back Theo Riddick, who was placed on injured reserve earlier Saturday, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Billingsley will be on the sideline, and possibly on the field, in the biggest game of the season for the Lions. Both Detroit and Green Bay enter Sunday’s season finale at 9-6. The winner clinches the NFC North crown, while the loser, depending on the outcome of games earlier Sunday, could either earn a wild card berth or miss out on the playoffs altogether.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Winnemucca, Nevada, native opened some eyes during the preseason with 12 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including 80 yards and a score in the final preseason game. He missed the final cut, however, and was signed to the Lions’ practice squad, where he has remained ever since.

The matchup with the Packers, played in Detroit’s Ford Field, kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on NBC.