After beginning the season out of football, Michael Badgley could play for two NFC North teams in two weeks. Shortly after the Bears released the veteran kicker from their practice squad, he landed with the Lions, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. It is a practice squad deal.
Badgley fared well as the Bears’ Cairo Santos replacement Sunday, but with Santos back, Chicago went back to its one-kicker setup. The Lions have a similar need, with Austin Seibert battling a groin injury. Seibert joined Santos in missing Week 4. If Badgley kicks for the Lions on Sunday, he will be the team’s sixth kicker over the past two seasons.
The Lions used Dominik Eberle as their kicker against the Seahawks, but after Eberle missed two extra points in Detroit’s shootout loss, he is back in free agency. The Lions waived Eberle on Tuesday. Badgley is now in line to be Seibert’s Week 5 fill-in, should another replacement be necessary.
Badgley went 4-for-4 on field goals with the Bears, who did not score a touchdown in Sunday’s loss to the Giants. He spent most of last season with the Colts, joining the team after Rodrigo Blankenship‘s early-season injury. Badgley, 27, was 18-for-21 on field goals with Indianapolis. Week 4 marked Eberle’s second NFL game. The 26-year-old specialist made the only field goal he attempted but was 2 of 4 on PAT tries, which impacted the Lions in their 48-45 loss to the Seahawks. A Utah State product, Eberle kicked in one game with the Texans last year.
The Lions had Matt Prater installed as their kicker for several years, but instability has defined this job since the veteran signed with the Cardinals in 2021. Last season, four kickers — including Seibert — saw action for Detroit.
Detroit went bargain basement hunting for a kicker and it has blown up in their face. Should have paid Prater.
Hopefully Badgley is it .. cuz in all honesty Seibert isn’t .. maybe they can trade for one .. kickers aren’t valued highly .. Thou I can’t remember a kicker that was on the trade block , I guess thier gonna have to cold call everyone
I know the NFL has considered having all extra point attempts run from scrimmage formations but they (as yet) haven’t figured out how to replace FG attempts. Once they do, the annual kicker roulette wheel will be history.
He also missed a field goal and kicked one out of bounds on the kickoff….it was a terrible performance for someone who gets a real chance at being a NfL kicker…I bet he doesn’t land another opportunity.
Between Hanson and Prater, the kicking game was a disaster. I don’t know who got tired of the other between Prater and Lions, but the Lions have lost that one.
I thought Riley Patterson was better than Seibert, but who knows what’s going on in that organization.
Doesn’t matter. Lions average 30+ points a game. And, they give up even more than that. Sorry football team!
Good signing! I’ve always liked Badgley. Never felt he got a fair shake anywhere.
I bet Santos ” Personal Issue” went away IMMEDIATELY after he saw Badgely go 4-4 in his place.
Now the Bears coaching staff just has to figure out how to get other positional players to take “personal issue” absences.