Looking for a silver lining from the Detroit Lions’ dreadful start to the 2020 season? Through the first two weeks, the Lions appear to have found themselves a great punter.
Jack Fox has played quite well in both Detroit losses. Fox, who spent much of the 2019 season on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad before coming to Detroit’s own practice squad in December, is off to an amazing start as Sam Martin’s replacement.
Fox is the top-graded punter through the first two weeks in Pro Football Focus’ play-by-play grading. And it’s not particularly close either. Not bad for a guy who eked out the job after a summer-long battle with Arryn Siposs to succeed Detroit’s long-time punter, now in Denver.
From Practice Squad to No. 1 in the NFL (by a wide margin), #Lions Punter Jack Fox has seen his first NFL action in 2020 and is off to a pretty good start
Highest Punting Grade in 2020:
1. DET Jack Fox, 91.5
2. MIA Matt Haack, 74.4
3. GB J.K. Scott, 72.7#OnePride— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) September 24, 2020
His position coach, new Lions special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs, is similarly impressed. After a stellar Week 2 under heavy pressure in Green Bay, Fox earned this praise from Coombs in the coach’s press conference,
“Jack, obviously, he’s kicking the crap out of the ball. He’s doing a great job in that phase.”
He’s also been good on kickoffs and flawless in his important duty as holder for Matt Prater’s placekicks.
