detroit lions A three-man kicking contest is underway.
The Lions acquired kicker Riley Patterson from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday for a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick.
Patterson made 13 of 14 field goals with the Lions in 2021, but lost a camp battle with Austin Siebert for the kicking job last summer.
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The Jaguars claimed Patterson off waivers, and were reportedly ready to waive him on Thursday after signing former Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus.
The Lions, who waived drafted rookie receiver Keaton Thompson to clear space on their 53-man roster, have two other kickers on their roster: Michael Badgley and John Parker Romo.
Badgley made 20 of 24 field goals in 12 games with the Lions last season after Siebert struggled in the early going.
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The Lions re-signed Badgley to a one-year deal this offseason and added Romo. who did the spring kicking for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFLThe first followed a tryout at rookie minicamp in May.
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Phipps said before the trade Thursday he liked where the team was with the kicking position.
“I feel really good about the two players we’ve got now,” Fip said. “Badgley, obviously, played well for us a year ago. He is a very accurate kicker. Maybe not as some of these guys as some of the leg strength and all that, but then the guy we brought in, John Parker Romo, he’s got a big leg, he’s talented, he’s really our Good for I think it will be a good competition and looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Patterson, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings and was signed by the Lions to the New England Patriots’ practice squad in 2021, made 30 of 35 field goals for the Jaguars last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. follow him on twitter @davebirkett.
This article was originally published on the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions trade for Riley Patterson, have 3-man contest
