Four days after getting released by the Detroit Lions, placekicker Michael Badgley has a new home. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Badgley is signing with the Washington Commanders.
Badgley worked out with the Commanders on Monday. Shortly afterward, he agreed to terms on a deal. Now, he’ll be a veteran competition for incumbent kicker Joey Slye.
Badgley latched onto the Lions last season. He made 20-of-24 field goal attempts, and his longest make was 53 yards. He also went a perfect 33-of-33 on extra points.
After four years at the University of Miami (FL), Badgley went undrafted in 2018. However, he landed with the Los Angeles Chargers and was impressive his first year, but struggled the next two, as his field goal percentage dropped to 72.1% in 2020.
Since then, he has looked to stick somewhere with stints in Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Chicago before landing in Detroit. It appeared he had found a home with the Lions. But, last week, the team surprisingly released him to make a roster spot for incoming wide receiver Denzel Mims. The Lions acquired Mims in a trade from the New York Jets.
For whatever reason, Detroit is going with a competition between Riley Patterson and Parker Romo.
Meanwhile, in Washington, there is a need to push Slye. Slye joined the Commanders late into the 2021 season after the team released Dustin Hopkins and later, Chris Blewitt.
Last season, Slye handled the kicking duties exclusively for Washington. He made 25-of-30 field goals, with his longest being from 58 yards. However, he struggled late on extra points, missing four of his 28 attempts.
Slye also had 60 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs. Michael Badgley, on the other hand, rarely got used on kickoffs by Detroit.
Is the job Slye’s to lose? Does Badgley have a legit shot at unseating Slye? Or is the former Lions kicker just a camp body? Only time will tell.
