The Lions lost incumbent K Michael Badgley for the season, and shortly thereafter the Jaguars released the man Badgley beat for the job. Should the Lions bring Riley Patterson back to Detroit?
Late last week, the Detroit Lions lost incumbent kicker Michael Badgley to a season-ending torn hamstring. That left newly signed UFL star Jake Bates as the lone rostered kicker in Detroit. The Lions have since worked out kickers Matt McCrane, Matt Ammendola, and Andre Szmyt .
In a timely move however, the Jacksonville Jaguars waived kicker Riley Patterson in favor of rookie kicker Cam Little out of Arkansas, who they drafted in the sixth round. That leaves Patterson, the man who Michael Badgley beat out for the Lions’ job last season, a free agent—if he clears waivers.
Question of the day: Should the Lions bring back K Riley Patterson?
My answer: absolutely. All of the kickers the Lions brought in for tryouts played most recently in the UFL, and have only had short stints or tryouts in the NFL. Patterson is a proven NFL veteran at this point, and the Lions know exactly what they’ll get out of him, which can’t be said about Bates or any of the kickers they gave tryouts.
Don’t make any mistake about it, the Jaguars’ decision to release Patterson shouldn’t impact your assessment of him. The Jaguars selected Cam Little in this year’s draft. He’s a very talented but somewhat unpolished rookie kicker, and the Jaguars kept Patterson around for insurance since, like the Lions, they knew what they had in him.
Right now, I see a much higher floor for Patterson than any of the kickers the Lions tried out in recent days. Bates may have a higher ceiling, and the Lions can find that out over the course of training camp. Let’s bring Riley home one more time.
What do you think? Should the Lions bring back Riley Patterson? Go with another UFL kicker? Let Jake Bates ride out training camp solo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.