So the Lions have their new kicker, or at least their next candidate for the job. And no, it's not Pro Bowl punter Jack Fox, who confirmed to the fanbase Wednesday that kicking is not his forte.
The fans were calling on Fox, of course, because the Lions didn't have a single kicker on their 53-man roster after cutting both Randy Bullock and Zane Gonzalez Tuesday afternoon.
"We’re gonna go for two a lot, and go for it on fourth," head coach Dan Campbell joked after the move. "No, we’ve got our eyes on a couple of guys."
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The guy they landed on was 24-year-old Austin Seibert, claimed off waivers Wednesday from the Bengals. A fifth-round pick of the Browns in 2019 when Lions senior personnel executive John Dorsey was Cleveland's GM, Seibert split last season between Cleveland and Cincinnati and converted six of nine field goals, going just 1-4 from 40 yards or more.
But he was much better the year prior, converting 25 of 29 field goals, including 10 of 13 from 40-plus, in 16 games for the Browns. Seibert's career conversion rate of 81.6 percent isn't all that far behind Matt Prater's mark of 83.2 -- which fell to 82.4 percent over his final three seasons in Detroit. And he'll cost a good deal less than Prater, who signed a two-year $6.5 million deal with Arizona this offseason.
With the Lions in a rebuild, this is a move that makes sense. Now all Seibert has to do is, you know, make the team.
