The Detroit Lions changed their kicker competition this week, which is something that supporters have been waiting for for the previous two months.
James Turner, an undrafted rookie, was waived by the Lions, while former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates was officially signed.
This implies that it will be a two-kicker contest between Bates and Michael Badgley when the Lions take the field for training camp in late July.
Bates is the competition’s wild card. The sample size for the All-UFL kicker is quite small, having only missed one kick in high school and no field goals in college.
Nevertheless, he dominated the spring league, winning the league’s inaugural weekend at Ford Field with a 64-yard touchdown pass. He was dependable from less than 50 yards out and kept showing off that strong leg as the year came to an end.
But the Lions are also big fans of Badgley. With six seasons of NFL kicking experience, two of which were spent in Detroit, he has earned a great deal of trust. Who will be the favorite to arrive at camp? Who will take home the job in the end? We discussed the Lions’ kicker job in a debate on our YouTube channel.
As usual, Meko Scott and Morgan Cannon talked about the subject. However, they also had special teams expert from Pride of Detroit, Hamza Baccouche, weigh in on kicking and how he believes the position competition will play out in the preseason.
Watch the full conversation here, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss a single one about the Lions.
