Getty Riley Patterson attempts a kick for Memphis against Navy in 2020.
The Detroit Lions had a sloppy Week 10 performance from the kicker position, and as a result, they will be trying a new player this week in the role as Austin Seibert recovers from injury.
On Tuesday, November 16, it was revealed that the Lions would be signing New England Patriots’ kicker Riley Patterson to a deal, thus removing him off the team’s practice squad. The news was first revealed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
Here’s a look at the report:
Patterson certainly has potential, which was spotted by the Minnesota Vikings who picked him up in the 2020 offseason. Patterson didn’t win the kicking battle, but was scooped up by the Patriots, where he has been on the practice squad since.
Patterson hits a decent ball and was one of the top kickers in the 2020 draft class, but hasn’t had a chance to show his stuff. Now, the Lions will give him that chance.
Patterson’s College Stats & Highlights
Coming into the league out of Memphis, Patterson is one of the more accurate kickers coming from college in terms of extra points. In a four-year career with the Tigers, Patterson missed just a total of six extra points, going 240-246 with the team, which is good for a 97.6% conversion rate. On kicks, however, is where Patterson has seen most of his problems in college. Over that same span, Patterson converted just 64-83 field goals, for a much lower 77.1% conversion rate. He fell apart in his senior season of 2020 with a shaky 68.2% conversion rate on kicks. Here’s a breakdown of Patterson which does show plenty of positives with his game:
Any potential past accuracy problems didn’t stop him from getting NFL looks, however, and Patterson does have decent accuracy in his past given his 92% conversion rate in 2019. That was the highest total for the kicker in his college career, which begs the question of whether it was an aberration or not.
The Lions will get a chance to find out, and give Patterson a shot to win a job.
Lions Making Kicker Switch After Week 10 Disaster
Ryan Santoso was elevated to the roster thanks to an injury to Seibert last week, and it wasn’t a banner day for the special teams based on that performance alone. Santoso whiffed on an extra point and a game-winning field goal, both of which could have proved the difference for the team in the end. With that in mind, the Lions are indeed looking around and trying to find a new kicker for Week 11.
Speaking to the media on Monday, November 15, Campbell was asked about the kicking situation and confirmed the team would be getting a look at some other players this week.
“We’re gonna bring some guys in and work them out and see who the best man for the job is,” Campbell said honestly on Monday when asked about his take on the kicker situation.
Specifically, Campbell didn’t blame the snap or the hold in either case for Santoso, both of which he confirmed were proper.
“The procedure was good, the snap, the hold on both was good. Nope, they did a good job with the procedure,” Campbell said.
Here’s a look at the miss, which has made waves around the NFL:
Ryan Santoso misses the game winning field goal #Onepride
Patterson will go about trying to solve these woes now, and he appears to be the player the lions believe is the best man for the job as Campbell said.
READ NEXT: Hunt Report: Tie Could Have Been Avoided With David Blough