ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Eric Fisher has yet to play consistently like a No. 1 overall draft pick, as he was for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013. Even considering he plays a so-called premium position, the left tackle hasn’t played well enough to earn a four-year contract extension worth $48 million, including $40 million guaranteed.

But the Chiefs, hours before starting training camp Saturday, gave him an extension. They took a huge leap of faith with Fisher and committed to him as their left tackle for the foreseeable future.

Now it’s time for Fisher to become the player the Chiefs envisioned when they drafted him.

The Chiefs have had to wait longer than expected. They knew in taking him No. 1 overall that Fisher would be something of a developmental prospect. He played at Central Michigan, in the Mid-American Conference, so there was going to be a steep learning curve.

Even at that, he has been more of a project than they thought. Fisher was at times so bad as a rookie playing right tackle that he deserved to be benched. He struggled to get strong enough to handle bigger, physical pass-rushers.

Through it all, Fisher showed the gifts that led the Chiefs to draft him. He is a superb athlete for a big man and occasionally made plays that an elite tackle would make. Yet he was always maddeningly inconsistent.

Fisher's 2015 season finished on an upturn, however, and the Chiefs are betting on more improvement to come. He had a strong game against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans in a playoff game in January.

Still, the Chiefs are paying Fisher in the new contract for what he might do for them, not what he has done. It’s a bold statement, and it's time for Fisher to repay the favor.