Detroit Lions offensive tackle Jason Fox showed promise when he was on the field in his first two seasons in the NFL. The problem is that Fox wasn't on the field that much. Various injuries kept him out throughout his first two years in the league, and now, as he enters year No. 3, it's clear that his future with the Lions could come down to whether or not he is able to stay healthy.
When Fox missed the Lions' minicamp earlier this month because of knee soreness, Jim Schwartz had a great quote about how availability is just as important as ability in a situation like this. Here's more of what he had to say about Fox (via the Free Press):
"This off-season was good for him. Up until last week, when he started getting sore, he was doing very well. ... Maybe if we shut him down (in minicamp) we don't have this issue come up in training camp. He needs to put some time together where he's injury-free, from an evaluation standpoint, and proven that he can stay healthy over the long term."
As long as he's healthy, Fox should easily make the team and be in the two-deep at offensive tackle. The thing is, if Fox can't stay healthy during training camp and the preseason this year, the Lions may just decide that enough is enough and move on.
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