Getty Michael Bagley celebrates making a kick in 2019.
The Detroit Lions made a move on Tuesday, October 4 designed to help their team. Unfortunately, there’s a question of whether or not the move will actually end up achieving that goal.
Detroit added kicker Michael Badgley, nicknamed “Money Badger,” to their practice squad just days after he was a perfect 4-4 for the Chicago Bears on the road in windy Giants Stadium. Badgley entered as the inconsistent Dominik Eberle exited.
On the surface, the move’s a good one. Badgley has kicked solidly in the NFL since 2018, when he broke in the league as an undrafted free agent. At 27, he has seen a lot in the league, but isn’t washed up. Austin Seibert, however, remains on the roster.
This offseason, the Lions had Riley Patterson, last year’s incumbent, and elected to kick him to the curb in favor of Seibert. Down the stretch, Patterson was the more reliable kicker and seemed to earn the job with steadiness.
The Lions didn’t see it that way, and in training camp, they elected to go with Seibert given his longer leg. There’s been one problem with that thinking, however. Seibert’s longest field goal in Detroit is 52 yards. Ironically enough, Patterson has a long field goal this season of 52 yards himself.
This time, the Lions shouldn’t make the same mistake that they did last year. Badgley is coming off a hot performance for the Bears and is in a groove. Detroit needs to ride the hot hand and see what they’ve got in Badgley.
If the team signed Badgley simply to let him sit on the sidelines, what is the point of that move? There’s more than a few good reasons to turn him loose.
Seibert Hasn’t Dominated With Lions
The biggest reason the Lions should make the switch now? Seibert himself has been far from perfect when kicking for the team.
Since coming over last year, Seibert has gone 13-17 with the Lions. On the surface, that may not sound bad, but there’s been enough erratic kicking sprinkled in that could prove he is not the guy long-term.
Seibert’s misses from 47 and 54 yards in Week 3 were in big spots, and that six points would have been enough to give the Lions a win in a big divisional game. In pressure spots, kickers have to make the kicks they are allotted, or they should always be at risk of being replaced.
Once upon a time, the Lions got lucky to land Matt Prater, who was a venerable force until his release prior to the 2021 season. While Badgley may not be on the same level as Prater, there’s enough in his past to think that he might be able to deliver similar goods kicking in a domed environment.
It’s time for the Lions to find out if that’s the case, starting on the road in Week 5.
Badgley’s Stats Lead to Hope
Badgley isn’t that old, but he has been in the league for four years already and has been very accurate thus far in his four stops.
An undrafted free agent out of Miami, Badgley signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 and ended up as the team’s kicker. His rookie year, he was a stellar 15-16 on kicks with a long of 59 yards. Come 2020, Badgley lost a touch of that accuracy, going 24-33 and 36 of 39 on extra points.
After exiting Los Angeles, Badgley kicked in one game for Tennessee in 2020, and was 1-2 on extra points. The Indianapolis Colts picked him up in 2021, and he was 18-21 on kicks and a perfect 39-39 on extra points. Overall, he has made 80.5% of his kicks in the NFL, and has hit pressure kicks, too.
At this point, Badgley is a relative hot-hand compared to everyone who has kicked in Detroit lately. For that reason, the Lions need to give him a chance to be their kicker the rest of the 2022 season and audition him for the role.
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