Getty Jack Fox kicks a field goal while playing for Rice.
The Detroit Lions lost punter Sam Martin this week, as he elected to sign with the Denver Broncos in free agency. Now that Martin is gone, who will be set to replace him?
That’s a complicated question seeing as the Lions haven’t made a move to replace Martin in free agency and the draft hasn’t played out. As it stands now, there aren’t many good free agency options. Detroit might already have a good candidate on the roster in Jack Fox.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press explained, Fox was signed to the roster along with former Michigan punter Matt Wile. The pair could be set to square off in a punting battle to see who has the upper hand to taking over the role. At this point, Fox could be the guy to beat according to Birkett.
Here’s a look at what he said about that:
“Fox had a strong showing at the East-West Shrine all-star game a year ago, but went undrafted out of Rice. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent, was briefly on their practice squad during the season and impressed the Lions with a late-season workout in Allen Park.
Fox may be good enough that the Lions don’t need to draft a punter this offseason, like they did with Martin in 2013. He can kick off, he handled long field goals in college, and he enters spring as the favorite to replace Martin, who took a pay cut before last season in exchange for having his contract reduced by a year.”
While playing for Rice, Fox piled up 9,167 punting yards in a 4 year career. He can also kick in an emergency role, as he made 38 of 39 extra points in his career and was 5-12 on field goals. Obviously, with a leg like that, the Lions could ask him to be a kickoff specialist as well.
Fox didn’t hang around the NFL for long last offseason, but could be primed now with a great chance to crack the roster in Detroit.
How Lions Might Approach Punter Situation
The Lions let Martin walk out the door to the AFC, and the team currently doesn’t have an experienced punter on the roster. There are few options that exist in terms of free agency, so the best way for the Lions to fill the need for a punter could be through the draft. That’s what happened when they picked Martin in 2013, and that could very well happen again. At the very least, the Lions need to provide the punters they do have on the roster with some competition, so the team figures to be in the mix for a specialist now come the draft. Look for it between the fifth and sixth rounds perhaps.
Even if the team drafts a player, Fox could be a player to watch in terms of being the leader in the clubhouse to take over the role.
Sam Martin Stats
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Martin agreed to a new contract with the Denver Broncos. Martin will join Denver on a 3 year pact in which he will be paid $7.05 million dollars.
Punters are free agents too, @richeisen. #Broncos have agreed with former #Lions P Sam Martin to a three-year, $7.05 million deal, source says.
Now that Martin is departing, the Lions will have to prioritize the punter position either in free agency or the draft. It’s more likely to be in the draft, given there is a lack of free agent punters on the market at this point.
Martin was drafted by the Lions in 2013 as a fifth round pick out of Appalachian State. While playing for the Lions, Martin has been known as a punter with a big leg, given he also handles the team’s kickoffs. Martin has never made a Pro Bowl but was named an alternate for the game in 2017. Through his career, he has netted 21,760 punting yards with 175 punts landing inside the 20 yard line.
Fair or unfair, Martin is known for a few shanks during his time in Detroit, namely one in the postseason. Other than that, he was a very solid punter for the team.
Another youngster could be getting the first shot to replace him in Fox.
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