The Detroit Lions went from having a potential triple threat kicking battle in June to the Lions waiving James Turner and then losing Michael Badgley to a season ending injury. Now The Lions are looking for kickers to come in and challenge Jake Bates for the starting role and one direction they might look is to go back to someone that they know.
That’s Riley Patterson. He is now on the waiver wire after the Jaguars waived him on Monday. The Lions could either put in a claim for him or wait until he hits free agency, but it makes some sense to go with a guy that you have some knowledge of.
It also really tracks with the Lions recent past at the position. Patterson was with the team and then left and the Lions made to a trade to bring him back last summer. Michael Badgley was with the team and then left and the Lions brought him back. There’s a comfort there with bringing back guys that the team knows.
The Lions did work out four kickers last week, including the other top UFL kicker Andre Szmyt from the St. Louis Battlehawks. We’ll soon see what they decide to do. The team still has an open roster spot.