The Detroit Lions have cycled through kickers in a true carousel fashion under the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell regime, almost to a point it makes you wonder if they care that much who the kicker is. They had a league-low 21 field goal attempts last season, with five attempts from 40-plus yards out and two from 50-plus.
Michael Badgley is the incumbent as Lions' training camp gets going, and Jake Bates is the challenger now after kicking for the Michigan Panthers in the UFL this season. It's fair to question the actual openness of the competition until shown otherwise, but Bates has a shot to win the job. He also carries the appeal of being something different, while possibly being a long-term answer.
It's not a stretch to say Bates, if he's going to win the job, has to be flawless in camp practices and preseason games to leave no doubt about who the Lions should keep as their kicker. Any hiccups will open the door to staying with Badgley, for better or worse.
Jakes Bates makes perfect first impression in effort to beat out Michael Badgley for Lions' kicking job
The Lions did some special teams work during Thursday's practice. Bates was the only one to do any kicking during team periods, and according to reporters on the ground at Allen Park he went 6-for-6 on field goals-converting from 33, 37, 39, 43, 50 and 52 yards. Erik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit noted the 52-yarder glanced off the right upright, but went through.
After practice, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket, Bates acknowledged his showing on Thursday is only a good start.
"One day down and a bunch more to go. It doesn’t matter what the distance is. I have a job to do and it’s to make field goals, regardless of where it’s from or whatever the situation is. So that’s what I try to do every time. "Especially in the kicker position, you're judged off how consistent you can be every single day. That's something I've worked really hard on and hopefully I can keep showing it."
Bates has to be consistent if he's going to beat out Badgley, while also showing the difference he can make on longer field goals. He couldn't have started camp any better than he did on Thursday.