In a bit of a surprise move the Detroit Lions cut starting running back Kevin Jones on Thursday. The former first round pick has undergone surgery for a Lisfranc foot fracture and a torn ACL the last two offseasons and it is unclear right now whether or not he will be ready for the start of the 2008 season. Some have speculated it may be 2009 before he will be capable of being 100%.

The former first round pick in 2004, Jones has been unable to come anywhere close to the 1133 yards he rushed for as a rookie and has failed to play in all 16 games in any of his four professional seasons.

Sources told the Detroit Free Press that the Lions gave Jones two reasons for his release: the salary cap and injuries. Jones had one year left on his contract with a base salary of $2.37 million. One source said there was a possibility he could return at a lower number, depending on how things play out. He is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, after coming back from a serious foot injury last year.

The team re-signed Tatum Bell earlier in the week, but lost T.J. Duckett and were outbid for Julius Jones by the Seahawks.  Aveion Cason and Brian Calhoun are also in the mix and it seems likely that the team will go after another running back early in this April's draft. Detroit has the No. 15 overall pick in the first round.

Head coach Rod Marinelli continues to do away with team president Matt Millen's highly drafted talent.  Since Millen took over control of the front office in 2001, the Lions have selected 18 different players in the draft's first two rounds, eight of them are no longer with the team. Jones and Kalimba Edwards, who was also cut on Thursday, join Shaun Rogers, Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Boss Bailey, Teddy Lehman and Mike Williams as Detroit cast-offs.

"As I've said all along, we will always make decisions that we believe are in the best interest of our entire football team," Marinelli said in the statement. "As the off-season has evolved — from our postseason roster evaluation to the combine to the free agency period — we feel we've made several moves to improve our team."