Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced on Friday that kicker Michael Badgley injured himself while getting ready for practice. He confirmed (via team reporter Tim Twentyman) Badgley will undergo surgery and miss the entire 2024 season. 
“I feel awful for Badgley, man,” Campbell said. “He worked his tail off to get ready for this season and he was having a good spring and was ready for camp. It’s tough.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Badgley suffered a torn hamstring. The 28-year-old was set to compete for the full-time kicking gig in Detroit during training camp, something he had yet to enjoy despite having made 16 total appearances for the team. Badgley took over from Riley Patterson midway through the 2023 season, and he was retained in February on a one-year deal.
Now, the journeyman will hit free agency next March with his market value having taken a hit. Badgley has played 64 games in the NFL split across five teams, and he could be forced to find another new employer when he returns to full health. The Lions, meanwhile, will now turn their attention to finding a suitable replacement over the coming weeks.
Detroit has UFL product Jake Bates as the only healthy kicker on the roster at the moment. The Michigan Panthers alum played his home games at Ford Field, and he connected on 17 of 22 field goal attempts (including three from beyond 60 yards). Campbell said the Lions have already lined up workouts with some of the free agent kickers available, though he added a signing is not necessarily an immediate priority.
Detroit topped the NFC North in 2023 and advanced to the conference title game. Expectations are high for the franchise this year, and maintaining their strong production on offense will be a important task for the Lions moving forward. Badgley was set to play a role in that regard, but those responsibilities will now fall to Bates or a kicker not currently on the roster. Detroit has $34.5MM in cap space, so affording competition for Bates in the near future will not be a problem.
They should sign Brandon McManus. No harm in it
K is like most positions in the NFL. A few are really good, a few are really bad, and the rest are average.
Really wanted to see what Jake Bates could do but not like this man. Feel horrible for Badgley hopefully this isn’t a career ender
Sounds like he tore his hammy while stretching his leg out. Hope he recovers well
Torn hammy would never happen to Ray King’s legs
Lions should never have cut Turner. Don’t understand it as he had distance, accuracy and was kicking better than Badgley before being cut when they signed Bates.
I agree, but Badgley had experience.
I remember seeing Bates hit the field during the UFK games and the fans went nuts. There was like a 3 week period that he was potentially the most recognizable player in the entire league…
When I saw Bates kick they were all extremely high pressure, 50+ yard kicks, and he nailed all of them.
Now, I don’t know of he ended up missing a few at the end of the season, but that would be my guess as I think at the time I saw him he had only missed one and was like 8-9 or something along those lines having hit 4 or 5 from 59+ and 2 from 60+…
This young man looked to be an absolute stud, and I am wishing Bates the best in Detroit. I think he could ultimately become a fan favorite, but it’ll all come down to how he performs on the biggest stage possible in the NFL.