After the surprise release of Michael Badgley, Lions head coach Dan Campbell named an early favorite in the team's kicker battle.
The Detroit Lions probably weren't going to carry three kickers very far into training camp. With the surprising cut of Michael Badgley last Thursday, it became a two-man battle between Riley Patterson and John Parker Romo before camp even started.
It seems possible, even likely, the Lions have their eyes open to other kicker options who are available. At his press conference to open training camp on Sunday morning, head coach Dan Campbell was certainly not going to say so if that is the case.
But the kicker situation was a natural question Campbell was asked, given that Badgley was released after stepping in solidly last season. Romo was a standout in the past season of the XFL, while Patterson was re-acquired in a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars in May after kicking for the Lions in 2021.
Here's a summary of what Campbell said about the kicker situation, via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News.
Asked about the kicker situation. Campbell said team feels Patterson and Badgley are similar players and the team wanted a closer look at Riley. Sounds like he's the clear front runner as Campbell calls Romo a wild card still in need of some development.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) July 23, 2023
Should the Lions be content with having Riley Patterson as their kicker?
Patterson landed with the Lions amid their 2021 kicker carousel, and was very solid in seven games that season (13-for-14 on field goals; 16-for-16 on extra points). That he lost the kicker battle last preseason to Austin Seibert now looks like a mistake by the Lions. He landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and had a solid campaign last year (30-for-35 on field goals; 36-for-37 on extra points).
Romo, given his lack of NFL experience and Campbell's line about him needing development, may be an eventual candidate for the Lions' practice squad to start the season.
It's hard to believe the Lions will just be content to stick with Patterson as their proverbial No. 1 kicker all the way through camp and the preseason, unless has another level in him that hasn't quite been seen yet. Romo could make a push to win the job, but on Day 1 of camp Campbell seemed to put that in the unlikely column.
Change just for the sake of change can be dangerous. But the Lions bringing another kicker in at some point in the coming weeks feels very likely,