We are still a bit away from the Detroit Lions' deadline for cutting players ahead of the new season, but one player that we know for certain will not be facing down a roster cut is kicker Jake Bates.
Despite some yips in the Lions' last preseason game of the year, where he missed two extra point attempts and drew a bad penalty on a kickoff, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that there's nothing to be concerned about regarding Bates.
"I'm not worried about Bates. He just pushed them a little bit. He'll be fine. He'll be fine," said Campbell, according to Detroit News reporter Nolan Bianchi.
It could be smart for Detroit to target some competition for Bates, though, especially after he regressed in 2025. One target on that front could be former Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe, who was released according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Lions could bring in legitimate competition for Bates
Grupe, who spent a few years with the New Orleans Saints prior to his one-year stint with the Colts, posted a 90% make rate for Indianapolis throughout camp and the preseason. He has been perfect on extra point attempts throughout his career, except for in 2024, where he was just 93.9 percent accurate on those attempts.
Field goals have been his issue in recent seasons, with him posting a 69.2 percent make rate on field goal attempts while with New Orleans. After getting picked up by the Colts, though, he was 100% accurate on 11 field goal attempts last season.
He could bring some legitimate competition to a room that's been in dire need of a consistent kicker for a few years. Detroit likely isn't keen on continuing with their tradition of major turnover at the position, but Bates shouldn't shaken up their logic on that a bit with two really bad misses in their last preseason game of the year.
READ MORE: 3 potential practice squad candidates that Lions fans have to hope clear waivers
There are plenty of other kicker-needy teams out there that might be clamoring for Grupe's services, with the New York Jets immediately coming to mind after they released Cade York last week. But, Detroit shouldn't be 100% comfortable running things back for Bates with zero competition when someone like Grupe is available.
It might've been just a blip, but you are bound to be a little concerned seeing your starting kicker struggle so close to the start of the regular season. With the position experiencing such an evolution in the NFL, the Lions shouldn't be complacent.
Add us as a preferred source on Google