A legendary figure in Detroit Lions' history will soon receive a long-overdue honor. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, a statue depicting the likeness of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders is set to be displayed outside of Ford Field, the first fixture of its kind to be featured on the stadium grounds.

Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN, the statue will be unveiled ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Check out this video of the official announcement that occurred during halftime of Sunday's game between the Lions and Miami Dolphins:

It is somewhat surprising that this type of honor was not bestowed upon the ten-time Pro Bowler and 1997 NFL MVP sooner. Granted, the franchise has honored Sanders in other ways in the past. For example, the uniform number 20 that Sanders wore was retired by the Lions in a ceremony in 2004, the same year he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Still, this statue will serve the legacy of the team's most popular player in history well.

According to Pro Football Reference, Sanders is the Lions' franchise leader in rushing yards (15,269) and combined rushing and receiving touchdowns (109). Moreover, Sanders' rushing yardage total is the fourth-highest of any player in NFL history behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Frank Gore. Despite retiring at the young age of 30, Sanders is lauded as one of the greatest running backs in football history, if not the best.

Though the Lions lost their Week 8 contest against the Dolphins with the final score of 31-27, at least one piece of good news came away from this game.