The 2024 season will be head coach Dan Campbell’s fourth season with the Lions. He’s helped the team take a step forward each year. In 2023, the Lions finished 12-5, first in the NFC North and second in the NFC. Detroit made it to the NFC Championship game and lost 34-31 to the 49ers.
Campbell and the Lions are running back the same team in 2024 with hopes of avenging their loss in the postseason. Heading into 2024, the Lions were set to have a battle for kicker. It was between Michael Badgely and UFL kicker Jake Bates. However, sources around the league reported that Badgley tore his hamstring getting ready for practice on Thursday. The 28-year-old will undergo surgery and will miss the entire season.
Michael Badgley’s season is over before it even began
Dan Campbell opens with bad news: Michael Badgley is out for the season. pic.twitter.com/DuaffVumRt
— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) July 26, 2024
To start his NFL career, Michael Badgley went undrafted out of Miami after four seasons with the Hurricanes. Eventually, Badgley signed with the Chargers and was their kicker from 2018-2020. Badley played for two teams in 2021, the Colts and Titans. In 2022, the kicker played for another two teams, this time, the Bears and the Lions. After bouncing around for two seasons, Michael Badley only played for the Lions in 2023.
At the beginning of the year, Badgley was the backup to Riley Patterson. Eventually, Patterson was waived from the team so the Lions could sign QB Hendon Hooker. They turned to Michael Badgely as their starter when Patterson was let go. Badgely hit all four of his regular season and all three of his postseason attempts for Detroit. Including a massive 54-yard field goal that helped the Lions beat the Rams in the wildcard round. Badgely was going to have the chance to compete for the starting job in 2024.
With Michael Badgley out, we now wait to see how the Lions’ kicking situation pans out.
This isn’t the first training camp for Jake Bates, he attended Houston’s camp after college. He never gave up on his hope of landing an NFL job & says good things come to those who work hard. pic.twitter.com/tlys3qn1Hj
— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) July 26, 2024
The door is now wide open for UFL kicker Jake Bates to be the Lions starting kicker in 2024. Bates played at the University of Arkansas from 2022-2023 and went undrafted. He played for the Michigan Panthers in the UFL and was known for his big leg. The 24-year-old has been waiting for this type of opportunity. Head coach Dan Campbell hasn’t said whether the team is going to bring in another kicker to compete with Bates. If the Lions don’t bring in any free agents, all signs point to Bates being Detroit’s starting kicker in 2024.