All-UFL kicker Jake Bates of the Michigan Panthers made a name for himself this season at Ford Field. Could he run it back with the Lions?
The Lions are one of four teams that has requested to host Bates on a free agent visit now that the UFL season has come to a close, along with the Packers, Ravens and Commanders, according NFL insider Aaron Wilson -- who calls it a "a competitive situation for the strong-legged kicker."
Bates, a former college soccer player who wound up transferring to be a kicker for Arkansas football, showed that leg this season with the Panthers. He drilled six field goals from 50-plus yards and three from 60-plus in just 10 games, including a game-winning 64-yarder at Ford Field that harkened back to Justin Tucker's record-setting 66-yarder that sunk the Lions in 2021 -- the only recorded field goal longer than Bates' in pro football history.
The Lions have shuffled through kickers for three seasons under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell after they let Matt Prater walk as a free agent. It's been a consistent soft spot of Detroit's roster, which may have cost the team in last season's NFC title game when Campbell left his offense on the field on 4th and 3 midway through the fourth quarter instead of trusting Michael Badgley to hit a game-tying 48-yard field goal. The Lions failed to convert and the 49ers made it a two-score game on the next drive.
Detroit attempted the fewest field goals in the NFL last season, including just five from 40-plus yards and three from 50-plus.
Badgley is the early leader in the Lions' kicking competition this season, with undrafted rookie and Michigan product James Turner also in the mix. Bates, who had a brief stint with the Texans last summer but failed to make the team, would add a very strong leg to the fray in training camp.
"Yeah, I've seen him," Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said during OTA's last month. "I'm not going to go into specifics on any individual player, but obviously I'm happy for the kid. He's having a great year, and from what I understand, it's a pretty cool story. I mean, he is like a backup kicker, kickoff specialist, got a chance to do it and made the most of it, it sounds like."
