The Detroit Lions have suffered their first significant injury of training camp.
Veteran kicker Michael Badgley suffered an injury on Thursday getting ready for practice, Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced Friday morning. Campbell said the injury will require surgery and Badgley will be placed on injured reserve and miss the 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."
Campbell said the team has already brought in some kickers to work out but aren't in a hurry to sign one to compete with Jake Bates unless it's the right guy.
Badgley replaced Riley Patterson as Detroit's place kicker the last month of the regular season last year. He was 4-for-4 on field goals to end the season and was 3-for-3 on field goals in the playoffs, including a 54 yarder in the Wild Card win over Los Angeles, and he was 11-for-11 on extra points in the playoffs. He has a track record of consistency in this league with a career 82.4 field goal percentage.
Bates made a name for himself in the UFL this spring because of the big leg he displayed. He made 17-of-22 field goals this season playing his home games at Ford Field. He made a game-winning 64-yard field goal in the Michigan Panthers' season-opening win over the St. Louis Battlehawks and had two other 60-plus-yard field goals this season.
He was 6-for-6 kicking in the team portion of practice Thursday from distances starting in the mid-20s going out to 53 yards.
"It's big time," Bates said after practice Thursday when asked how important it is to prove his consistency in training camp. "It's big time for anybody but especially in the kicker position. You are judged off how consistent you can be every single day. That's something I work really hard on and hopefully I can keep showing."
Campbell said they'll try to put Bates in as many pressure situations in camp moving forward to evaluate if he's ready to be the full-time kicker for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
View photos from Day 2 of Detroit Lions training camp on Thursday July 25, 2024.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (15) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) and Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (43) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (19) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker DaRon Gilbert (53) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Dan Skipper (70), Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16), and Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jalon Calhoun (80) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sean McKeon (86) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Antoine Green (18) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki (33) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox (3) and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (43) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions guard Netane Muti (52) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Brandon Joseph (40) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Tight Ends Coach Steve Heiden during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox (3) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on July 25, 2024. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
"He has kicked in games. I know it's not the same thing, but a little bit of it is the only way you're going to know is you have to put him out there and see how he does," Campbell said. "Right now he looks pretty good, and it's early, but he has a big leg and I like his personality, his aura.
"He's got some confidence about him, which is nice. He seems pretty consistent about the way he goes about his business. Kind of the same guy every day, which I appreciate. We'll just see. We'll keep working through practice and see where this goes."
