The Detroit Lions have swapped out kicker backup plans, adding Michael Badgley to the practice squad.
For a stretch of weeks last season, the Detroit Lions went through kickers like some people might go through underwear. This year Austin Seibert won a preseason kicking battle with Riley Patterson, but a right groin injury sidelined him for Week 4.
Dominik Eberle missed two extra points and put a kickoff out of bounds against the Seahawks, and he was officially waived on Tuesday. In a corresponding kicker move, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Michael Badgley was signed to the practice squad.
With their regular kicker Cairo Santos out due to a personal situation, Badgley kicked for the Chicago Bears in Week 4. He made all four of his field goal attempts (22, 29, 35 and 40 yards), but Santos was back with the team on Monday and the Bears cut him.
Badgley most notably has spent three seasons (2018-2020) as the Los Angeles Chargers’ kicker. He made 80 percent of his field goals over that stretch (52-for-65), with all 13 misses from 40-plus yards out (22-for-35 total).
Badgley first landed with the Tennessee Titans in 2021, kicking in one game. He then landed with the Indianapolis Colts, converting 18 of 21 field goals and all 39 of his extra points in 12 games.
Detroit Lions change their backup plan at kicker
Seibert may be healthy enough to return Sunday against the New England Patriots. Head coach Dan Campbell has expressed optimism that will be the case, but the Lions did survey some other options via tryouts on Tuesday.
Lions worked out kickers Sam Ficken and Lirim Hajrullahu, according to league sources, as they cut Dominik Eberle
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 4, 2022
Interesting in a way such things can be interesting, Badgley was not one of the kickers brought in by the Lions for the tryout session. So they literally did not feel a need to see him on-site to sign him, though kicking in a game two days prior is probably solid evidence of his ability.
Badgley not one of the 4 kickers who worked out for the Lions today https://t.co/D7QWRHYzY1
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) October 4, 2022
The Lions are not yet at their 2021 level of kicker turnover, and they’ll probably never get there. But Badgley is a more solid backup plan for Seibert being out than Eberle was, so that’s something if he has to be a multi-week solution.