The Detroit Lions will be using a new kicker for the 2024 season. The team announced on Friday that Michael Badgley, who has been with the team for the last two seasons, suffered a "severe" leg injury on Thursday and will be placed on season-ending injured reserve. ESPN is reporting Badgley tore his hamstring during practice, ending his season before it started.
Badgley made 24 of his 28 field goals and 46 of his 48 extra points for the Lions across 16 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He has been bouncing back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad, as he was the team's kicker for 12 games in 2022 and then four games down the stretch of last season after the team moved on from Riley Patterson.
Badgley had been set to compete with former UFL star Jake Bates for the full-time job in 2024.
Bates, who made 21 of 28 field goals -- including three 60-plus-yard kicks -- for the Michigan Panthers during this past UFL season, signed a two-year, $1.98 million deal that includes $150,000 in guarantees. Badgley was in on a one-year, $1.29 million deal with $425,000 in guarantees, so he probably had a leg up in the competition unless he was outperformed by Bates during training camp and the preseason.
The Lions are expected to be one of the NFL's highest-scoring teams once again in 2024, and should generate plenty of extra-point opportunities for kickers. However, they are one of the most aggressive fourth-down teams in the NFL, and their 21 field-goal attempts last season were fewest in the NFL. It seems likely they will again be low on that list this season, so if Bates can consistently make his extra points, he might be able to lock up the job in the wake of Badgley's injury.
