If the Detroit Lions were going to part ways with a kicker before training camp started in earnest, Michael Badgley would not have been the top pick. But on Thursday that's just what happened, leaving the re-acquired Riley Patterson and XFL standout John Parker Romo as the kickers on the roster.
It's entirely possible Badgley is brought back, maybe even soon as Patterson and Romo show themselves in what's left of the kicker battle. It's also possible he's injured, as he did not really participate in OTAs for reasons unknown. He also had little to prove at OTAs, as Patterson and Romo did not do all that well based on what reporters on-site passed along.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported Badgley was indeed dealing with a groin injury during OTAs.
Surprised by this one, but the Lions released Michael Badgley to make room for newly-acquired WR Denzel Mims. Badgley missed time to rest a groin injury in the spring, is healthy now. He kicked well in Detroit last year https://t.co/8sNqLXyXxg via @freep
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) July 20, 2023
The Lions did need to create an open roster spot after acquiring Denzel Mims, but they also shouldn't have been afraid to expose Patterson or Romo to being claimed off waivers. It's a little weird that cutting Badgley was the move to presumably make room for Mims. Carrying three kickers was not going to be viable much longer any way.
It's now easy to speculate that the Lions are looking to sign another veteran kicker, to outright replace Badgley and eventually push Patterson and Romo off the roster. It has been a standing angle here that Badgley could be replaced, and now the door is as open to that as ever.
Since bringing Badgley back at some point is boring, and hopefully unlikely, here are some available kickers the Lions can fully pivot toward now.