After another disappointing season of kickers, it’s time for Detroit to find a new option.
Welcome to another installment of our Detroit Lions free agent profiles series for the 2023-2024 season. I am reviewing the problematic kicker position today, with Michael Badgley being the team’s only current option. Detroit has had a rocky road at the position since the end of the 2020 season, and they have yet to figure out the long-term answer to the question of who their primary option is.
Let’s take a deeper look at the case for letting Badgley walk.
Here’s a look at our previously written free agent profiles: WR Josh Reynolds , OG Graham Glasgow , OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai , EDGE Romeo Okwara , CB Emmanuel Moseley .
Michael Badgley
Expectations heading into 2023
After having a mostly successful 2022 season, Badgley re-signed with the Lions to be their kicker in 2023. They did bring in some competition, however. They signed big-legged John Parker Romo after he had a successful year in the XFL, and Detroit also traded for Riley Patterson.
Actual role in 2023
Regular season — 4 games (4 starts): 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, longest from 41 yards out. 13-for-15 on extra point attempts
Playoffs — 2 games (2 starts): 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, longest from 54 yards out. 11-for-11 on extra point attempts.
It was a rollercoaster of a season for Badgley. He didn’t even make it to Lions training camp, and was released in July , four months after re-signing with the team. After signing and getting released by the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans , he joined the Lions again, this time on the practice squad.
Behind the scenes, Badgley would end up winning an in-practice, weeks-long competition over Riley Patterson right in the middle of the season. Eventually, he took the starting job from Patterson on December 16, when he was elevated to the active roster against the Denver Broncos . Two weeks later, Badgley was signed to the main roster and was the team’s kicker for the remainder of the season.
Outlook for 2024
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Why Detroit must let Badgley go
The one position that general manager Brad Holmes and the front office can’t seem to figure out is kicker. They have had multiple kickers on the roster since 2021; even one they released then would trade for the following season , only ending up re-releasing him. The Lions franchise was blessed with legendary kicker Jason Hanson for 21 seasons before struggling to find a replacement and getting lucky to land Matt Prater for seven seasons. After his departure, the position is in limbo once again.
Badgley has had two stints with Detroit, 2022 and 2023, and while both weren’t horrible, they weren’t impressive either. Lions head coach Dan Campbell is an aggressive coach who likes to go for it on fourth down instead of punting or kicking field goals. I believe part of the reason he goes for it, in certain situations, is because it’s too close to punt, but he doesn’t trust his kicker to make it from a long distance. If Detroit had a better kicker, we might see the Lions kick more field goals.
Badgley was great on field goals this season, never missing (on just four attempts), but he struggled with extra points with two misses (one blocked). As a kicker, it’s understandable to miss field goals, especially from far distance, but extra points shouldn’t be missed even with the further kick now. Badgley doesn’t have the leg the team needs, and we saw three kicks over 50 yards in the Super Bowl , with the record now being 57 yards in the game. It proves that kickers with a big leg can help the team win a championship.
There was discourse in the Lions community against the San Francisco 49ers that the team should have kicked field goals instead of risking it on fourth down. People said Badgley could have kicked it, and others didn’t trust him from that distance. In this era of football, when kickers are more accurate than ever, a 45-50-yard field goal should feel close to automatic, and Badgley doesn’t offer that kind of confidence. For his entire career, he is just 10-of-21 from that 5-yard range.
Is there interest from both sides?
As a kicker, you will take any job on any team if you can play, practice squad, or be a starter. Detroit could bring Badgley back in free agency and sign a veteran for him to compete against in training camp, or they could bring Badgley back and draft a kicker.
I don’t see the Lions re-signing Badgley and calling it a day there. If he is back on the team, there will be a competition between him and someone else. Detroit liked Badgley enough to bring him back one month after cutting him, and Badgley was willing to return to the team that let him go as well. Both sides seem to like each other, but I don’t think there would be any hard feelings if they went their separate ways. Even when the Lions originally cut Badgley, coach Dan Campbell admitted it was a tough decision.
“It was hard to let Badgley go. That was tough,” Campbell said. “I have a lot respect for Badge, but you know, we wanted to give another look at Patterson.”
It’s hard to judge at this point if either side has any interest. I would say that come April, we might have a clearer picture of what will happen.
What do you think the Lions should do with Michael Badgley?