Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin feels that defensive tackle Nick Fairley "turned a corner" in his NFL career in the 2014 season.
The 27-year-old struggled for consistency in his first three years in the league and as a result the Lions declined to use the option in his contract for a fifth season in 2015.
However, Fairley responded well with a series of strong performances at the start of the campaign before a knee injury ruled him out for the rest of the season.
"As a player you could say, 'I'm going to play hard or I'm going to get in shape' and sometimes when things don't go well you go right back into your old habits," Austin told the team's official website.
"He got injured and he didn't. He kept himself in good shape. He kept his weight down, he worked really hard and if we were fortunate enough to win at Dallas he would have been ready to play a little bit in the next game and so that shows me that he's turned the corner.
"I mean I really like Nick and I like Nick as a player. I think he's a really good player. But I think he did, I think he turned a corner."
Fairley admitted that he was hopeful that he would return to the club for the 2015 season as he is set to become a free agent in March.
