The Detroit Lions announced on Friday that Kicker Michael Badgley was injured during warm-ups for Thursday’s practice. He will be placed on injured reserve and miss the 2024 season. Initially, the team did not release any further information regarding what happened to the seventh-year player.
According to a report from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, it was revealed that Badgley suffered a torn hamstring. The kicker is expected to have surgery as soon as next week. In the meantime, the team will audition for his replacement. How will this injury impact the team during the upcoming season?
A Lost Season for Badgley
#Lions kicker Michael Badgley suffered a significant injury in practice and will be out for the season. He will undergo surgery. pic.twitter.com/dGYb4LnUCL
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 26, 2024
It was a tough turn of events for the Lions and Coach Dan Campbell. With most of the key players back from a team that went 12-5 in 2023, captured the NFC North title, and came one game short of making the franchise’s first Super Bowl, they want to continue that continuity. Now, they must replace a vital part of their offensive game.
“Feel awful, feel bad,” Campbell said about Badgley, according to Fox Sports. “He worked his tail off to get ready for this season. He was having a good spring. He was ready for camp. So, anyway, it’s tough.”
Badgley was an efficient weapon for Detroit a year ago. After being released in 2022 during his first stint with the franchise, he re-signed with the Lions late last season. He replaced struggling Kicker Riley Patterson and went 4 for 4 in field goal attempts and 13 of 15 on extra-point tries.
At the same time, Badgley hasn’t exactly established himself as an ‘elite’ kicker in the NFL. Since being signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, the University of Miami product has already suited up for seven different teams. The Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears, and (of course) the Lions have all called upon him for his kicking services. In some cases, he has played multiple stints for those franchises.
Lions in Search of a Replacement
The Detroit Lions may already have Matt Badgley’s replacement in the fold. The team signed Jake Bates, who played for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League. The kicker was considered one of the brightest prospects in the UFL by many NFL scouts. Much of the hype surrounding Bates was because he kicked three field goals of at least 60 yards for the Panthers.
Despite already having Badgley in the fold, coach Campbell and his crew decided to give Bates a look. In late June, they inked the UFL sensation to a two-year, $1.98 million deal that included $150,000 guaranteed and a $100,000 signing bonus.
“Detroit really felt like home, even outside of all that (attention), it felt good,” Bates said upon signing with the team. “And there’s no real words to describe what that feeling is, it just felt good. The people there were awesome. Obviously, you can’t let yourself listen to that too much because you never know. But, no, it was awesome.
“When you walk into the building, just the feel of it, the culture that the coaching staff has brought in and the buzz around the city, the excitement for the team. There’s so many intangible things that go into it with the feeling around the Lions right now. Obviously, last season was awesome for them, and I just can’t wait to get up there and help any way that I can to hopefully do well for this city.”
However, Bates has not been anointed as the starter just yet. The Lions are expected to bring in other kickers as competition. Also, Dan Campbell has stated that the coaching staff will put Bates in high-pressure drills in practice, to see how he translates to the NFL.
“We got to put him in as many pressure situations as we can at camp,” Campbell said.
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