All-NFC North Team: Jack Fox Earns Preseason Honors

Jack Fox earns spot on All-NFC North team.

Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox (3). / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions found a gem in Jack Fox.

After going undrafted out of Rice, Fox landed with the Lions in training camp in 2020. It's only fitting that with training camp set to begin Wednesday, the undrafted free agent and camp success story is featured on the All-NFC North team.

Fox got all but one first place vote at the punter position, with the other going to heralded Chicago Bears rookie Tory Taylor.

Here's a look at the first team specialists, as well as notes on how they will impact their respective teams in 2024.

First team kicker: Cairo Santos

For years, the Bears have had the Gould standard for kickers. No one could match up to Robbie Gould’s numbers after former GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox so foolishly released him in 2016. Finally, Santos has met this, as his 90.4% field goal percentage in four-plus Bears seasons makes him most accurate in Bears history.

Now, in his second stint with the team, he has added long-distance kicks to his repertoire. Over the last two seasons, he’s 11 of 13 from 50 yards or longer after he went 10 of 22 from that range in his first eight seasons with assorted teams. All of this has come despite constantly battling the toughest late-season kicking conditions in the division due to the Soldier Field cold combined with the lakefront wind.

The Brazilian finally flourished once he got healthy following several years of nagging injuries, then settled in with a team in obvious need of a kicker following the infamous Cody Parkey double-doink and national search for his replacement.  

Still to be shown by Santos is how he produces in the final seconds for the win, as the Bears simply haven’t been good enough to get in those situations in the last four seasons. — Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI.

All-NFC North Team: Quarterbacks,Running Backs,Wide Receivers,Tight Ends,Offensive Line,Defensive Line,Linebackers,Cornerbacks, Safeties

First team punter: Jack Fox

The Lions took a chance on Fox during the 2020 season, adding him as an undrafted free agent. Sam Martin, who had been the team's punter since 2013, had signed with the Broncos leaving Detroit with a competition.

Fox won the competition that year and hasn't looked back, as he earned Pro Bowl honors his rookie season.

Last season Fox's yards per punt average was down, but he landed a career-high 45.6 percent of his kicks inside the 20-yard line and had just five go for touchbacks. He remains a field position weapon and the Lions see plenty of value in that. 

In addition to his punting prowess, Fox has also gotten the chance to show off his arm during Dan Campbell's tenure. He's 3-for-4 in his career throwing the ball on fake punts, totaling 38 yards and all three of his completions going for first downs.  — John Maakaron, Lions On SI.

First team return specialist: Keisean Nixon

When the Packers signed Nixon, the two-time All-Pro returner, to a one-year contract in 2022, it wasn’t to be the returner. In fact, Nixon had little experience as a returner. Not in three years with the Raiders. Not even at South Carolina.

However, after former third-round pick Amari Rodgers fumbled away the job midway through the 2022 season, the Packers gave Nixon a shot. He rewarded the Packers with an All-Pro season, then did it again last year to become just the fourth returner to earn back-to-back All-Pro honors.

Of course, he won All-Pro honors practically by default last year. Nixon was No. 1 in the NFL with a 26.1-yard average on kickoff returns. At the same time, he also was second-from-last because only two players had the 20 returns necessary to be listed among the league leaders.

In order to pump life into a dying play, the NFL made sweeping revisions to the kickoff this offseason. That should provide a lot more opportunities for Nixon to do his thing after leading the NFL with six kickoff returns of 50-plus yards and 19 of 30-plus yards the last two seasons.

“I feel like they’re changing it for me,” Nixon said. — Bill Huber, Packers On SI.