Receiver Kris Durham is cementing his spot with Lions offenseAllen Park Kris Durham grabbed a suitcase last September, hopped on a plane in Seattle and has been in Detroit ever since.This year, though, the Lions wide receiver is living in a townhouse instead of quarterback Matthew Stafford's house.Durham's tale is a somewhat common one for hopeful NFL players, but what sets him apart from many others is how quickly he's become an integral part of one of the league's best offenses.So far the 6 foot 6 Durham has 21 catches for 256 yards and a touchdown this season, but he was effectively the Lions No. 1 receiver for two games while Calvin Johnson (knee) was injured. In a Week 5 loss to the Packers with Johnson out, Durham had three catches for 30 yards and a score, and in a win over the Browns the following week with Johnson hobbled, Durham had career highs of eight catches and 83 Wholesale Handbags yards.Even with Johnson healthy in a loss to the Bengals last week, Durham still had eight targets and five catches for 41 yards."I think (my role) gives me a lot of confidence, but it also shows me that I have a lot of work to do," Durham said.Drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks in 2011, Durham played in just three games as a rookie before a shoulder injury landed him on injured reserve that November. In August 2012, the Seahawks waived Durham, but he quickly found a home on the Lions practice squad.When he came to Michigan, Durham moved in with Stafford, his college teammate at Georgia. As a practice squad member, Durham could have been signed by another team at a moment's notice, so the frugal move made the most sense. Former Bulldogs fullback Shaun Chapas also joined the Lions practice squad last September and lived with them, too."That was kind of surreal because we had joked about it," Durham said. "We had been like, 'Oh yeah, we're going to play together one day,' and we Wholesale Cheap Sunglasses had all talked about it. For it to actually happen was kind of funny when we sat back and thought about it."With injuries decimating the Lions receiving corps in 2012, Durham was promoted from the practice squad in Week 14. In four games, he had eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown, but didn't do anything to secure a spot on the team in 2013.Durham took care of that in training camp with several highlight reel catches."He was fighting to make this football team," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "I remember one day he said, 'If the Lions cut me, I'm going to make it really hard on them.' "Durham had just one catch during the preseason, so his spot on the 53 man roster was a bit surprising save for the sensational plays during camp."Making plays is what it's all about," Linehan said. "Receivers have to be able to do that to get on the field. That had probably everything to do with him being on the team, to be honest with you."And Durham never felt discouraged by his lack of opportunities in the exhibition games."I can't control what they decide to do with me," he said. "I can just control my effort, my attitude and everything I put into it. I just focus on that."By the end of Durham's first season with the Lions, he said Stafford's girlfriend Wholesale Sunglasses was giving him a friendly kick out the door. So after staying in the team hotel during camp, he and Chapas moved into a place together because Durham expected to be around a while, though Chapas was released from the practice squad two weeks ago.With more experience in his role, Durham has developed better chemistry with Stafford this season. Having that college familiarity helps, too."Being around him, just Wholesale Bags his body language when he s running a route and things like that, all that stuff is important for timing and accuracy, and being able to be around a guy for a long time obviously helps it," Stafford said.Durham has been Stafford's second most targeted wide receiver behind Johnson this season. When Nate Burleson (forearm) returns in the slot, Durham's targets will likely decrease, but he should remain the Lions second outside receiver.Whatever the role, Durham is glad he's had success so far this season."It's very rewarding, but there's still work to be done," he said. "You've just got to continue to grind. You can't ever get discouraged. You can never get too high or too low. You've just got to keep chugging along."