One of the most unfortunate parts of the NFL is what players call a 100% injury rate. The game is brutal, and while everyone tries to play through some level of pain, some players are on the wrong end up luck and have serious enough injuries to see their careers cut way shorter than expected.
There’s an endless list of names across the NFL of players who likely would have gone on to have illustrious careers only to see injuries prevent them from getting started. Unfortunately, it seems like the Lions have a pretty long list of their own. Even now, some are wondering if a guy like Kerby Joseph could meet that fate with his current, mysterious knee injury.
But let’s look at the past in today’s Question of the Day:
Which Lions player was most robbed of a great career due to injury?
My answer: The first person that comes to mind is Jahvid Best. Concussions forced him out of the league after just 22 games, and he seemed to be just hitting his stride when he was forced from the league. In his second season, he was averaging 4.6 yards per carry through six games and already has 677 scrimmage yards that season. At that pace, he would’ve finished with over 1,800 yards that season—which would’ve placed him fourth that season among all offensive players.
Obviously, when you talk about Lions players whose careers were tragically cut short, you also have to talk about offensive lineman Mike Utley, who was paralyzed in a game in his third season. I feel like DeAndre Levy belongs in this conversation, too, despite the fact that he played six full seasons before injuries derailed his final two years in the NFL. His final full season in 2014 earned him a second-team All-Pro designation and a four-year extension. Thanks to injuries, he played in just six more games.
Which Lions player do you think was most robbed of a great career due to injury? Share your answers in the comment section below.
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