Nate Burleson, a  fan favorite during his four seasons with the Detroit Lions, will return to Detroit  not as a player but as a broadcaster.

Burleson will join Rob Rubick and Matt Shepard in the TV booth for  three of the Lions preseason games on FOX2 (WJBK): Aug. 13 vs. New York Jets, Aug. 20 at Washington Redskins and Sept. 3 vs. Buffalo Bills.

Burleson was cut by the Lions after the 2013 season. Always a talker, he found a good home working as an analyst on the NFL Network. That gig included a visit to Detroit to interview his former teammate Calvin Johnson.

Rubick, a 12th-round pick by the Lions in 1982, and he served as the Lions studio analyst on the Detroit Sports Report and later on Lions Live on FSD. In 2010, he became the color commentator for preseason games on the Detroit Lions Television Network.

Shepard, a reporter and host for FOX Sports Detroit, has previously worked as the the play-by-play announcer for Detroit Lions preseason games and as the host of The Ford Lions Report during the regular season on the Detroit Lions Television Network. Shepard also has a morning show on WDFN.

“All of us at FOX Sports Detroit are excited to welcome this trio of Nate, Rob and Matt to our Lions broadcasting team,” said Greg Hammaren, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports Detroit.  “We’ve had the pleasure of working with Rob and Matt for a number of our other live events and think Nate will bring his unique perspective as a former wide receiver and energy to enhance our show.”

The Detroit Lions open training camp on Monday, 10 days before the first preseason game.

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