Badgley made his only field-goal attempt and went 4-for-4 on PATs in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Cardinals.
Badgley was signed by the Colts earlier in the week, replacing Spencer Shrader (knee) as the team's starting kicker after Shrader was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury. Badgley made a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter, tying up the game at 17-17. The kicker is familiar with Lucas Oil Stadium, having gone 18-for-21 on field-goal tries over 12 games with Indianapolis in 2021, and he'll look to build off of his Week 6 performance moving forward.
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Colts' Michael Badgley: New kicker in Indy
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Badgley agreed to a contract with the Colts on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
With Spencer Shrader (knee) suffering a season-ending injury in Sunday's 40-6 win over the Raiders, the Colts worked out eight kickers Tuesday. Badgley ultimately emerged from the tryout with a contract, and he'll now have the opportunity to kick for a Colts squad that has fielded a surprisingly prolific offense through the first five weeks. Despite having his day cut short by the injury in Week 5, Shrader had racked up an NFL-high 53 points while knocking down 13 of 14 field-goal tries on the season. With a career 82.4 percent success rate on field goals over stops with five different teams in his career, Badgley can't be counted on to match the accuracy Shrader had displayed, but the 30-year-old should at least benefit from playing his home games indoors. Badgley looks like a worthy pickup in fantasy leagues for managers seeking a fill-in for Shrader or a replacement for a kicker who is on bye or isn't tethered to as formidable of an offense as Indianapolis.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Entering free agency healthy
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Detroit cleared Badgley from the groin injury that landed him on the injured reserve list for the entire 2024 season, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Badgley suffered a torn hamstring during the first week of training camp last year, so his last playing sample comes from 2023, when over four games he made all four of his field-goal tries and 13 of his 15 extra-point attempts. Jake Bates had an impressive rookie campaign with the Lions in 2024, so Badgley will likely be looking for a new team in 2025.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Moves to IR
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The Lions placed Badgley (hamstring) on injured reserve Saturday.
Badgley tore his hamstring during practice Thursday and will be out for the entire 2024 campaign. The veteran was slated to compete for the opportunity to be Detroit's kicker for the upcoming campaign, so the team will likely bring another kicker into training camp to push Jake Bates for the role. Bates was signed by the Lions in June after a record-setting performance in the UFL this spring, but he's yet to take a snap in the NFL.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Suffers season-ending injury
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Badgley suffered a season-ending hamstring injury during Thursday's practice, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
A torn hamstring during the first week of training camp will end Badgley's season before it really began, with the Lions reportedly planning to place him on injured reserve in the coming days. Jake Bates, a 2023 UDFA and breakout performer with the UFL's Michigan Panthers this past spring, is left as the only kicker on the roster, but it presumably won't be long before the team brings in some competition. Whoever ends up winning the job could have fantasy value even if they're inexperienced, as the Lions had one of the better offenses in the league last season and return most of their key pieces for 2024.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Re-signs with Lions
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Badgley is re-signing with the Lions on a one-year contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Badgley spent much of 2023 on Detroit's practice squad before eventually replacing a struggling Riley Patterson for the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs. Badgley converted each of his seven field-goal attempts and 24 of 26 PATs after taking over, but he'll likely have to compete with Patterson or another kicker to win the job in 2024.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Converts four field goals in 2023
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Badgley converted four of four field-goal attempts and 13 of 15 PATs over four games in 2023.
Once Detroit lost patience with Riley Patterson after missing two PATs in three games, Badgley was brought in with mixed results. Not only did he miss two PATs in his four regular-season games, the strong-legged kicker only converted one field goal from over 40 yards over this stretch with just one more from at least this range over three postseason games. Now set to become an unrestricted free agent, Badgley is not locked in as Detroit's starting kicker entering the 2024 campaign.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Another missed PAT
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Badgley converted his lone field-goal attempt and three of four PATs during Sunday's 30-20 win over the Vikings.
While Badgley remains perfect on field-goal tries this year, he missed an extra-point attempt for the second time in three weeks. The Miami (Fla.) product thus finishes the regular season with four field goals and 12 PATs in four games for Detroit -- numbers that reflect the Lions' success in ending drives with touchdowns down the stretch. Badgley will look to tack on more production against the Rams in the NFC wild card round.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Converts two field goals
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Badgley converted both of his field-goal attempts and his lone PAT during Saturday's 20-19 loss to Dallas.
After missing an extra-point try last week in Minnesota, Badgley redeemed himself with a flawless game that could have been bigger if not for Detroit's aggressiveness on fourth down and two-point attempts. The strong-legged Badgley will again have some upside as a fantasy option when the Lions' high-powered offense returns home for a regular-season finale against the Vikings in Week 18.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Signed to active roster
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The Lions signed Badgley to the active roster from their practice squad Friday.
Badgley was eligible for his third and final elevation ahead of Saturday's game at Dallas, but Detroit opted to sign him to the active roster outright, signifying its confidence in the placekicker for the final two outings of the regular season and however long the team lasts in the playoffs. In two games to date, he's netted his only field-goal attempt (37 yards) and struck true on nine of 10 point-after tries.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Back on practice squad
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Badgley reverted to the Lions' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
For a second game in a row, Badgley jumped up from Detroit's practice squad to serve as the team's placekicker Sunday at Minnesota. In the end, he made his only field-goal attempt (37 yards) and three of four point-after tries. With Riley Patterson out of the picture after the Lions waived him last week, Badgley is poised to handle kicking duties while attached to a productive offense moving forward. Whether or not the team elevates Badgley or outright signs him to the active roster ahead of Saturday's game at Dallas remains to be seen, but he has just one elevation left before the latter transaction will need to take place.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Bumps up from practice squad
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The Lions elevated Badgley from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game at Minnesota.
Badgley swapped in for Riley Patterson as Detroit's placekicker last Saturday against the Broncos and made all six point-after tries presented to him. The team then waived Patterson on Tuesday, paving the way for Badgley to handle all kicking duties for the Lions moving forward. After Sunday, Detroit can elevate Badgley one more time before needing to sign him to the active roster, but it could clear up any questions about his standing by doing so in advance of Week 17 action.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Takes over kicking gig
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Badgley is the only placekicker on the Lions' roster after the team waived Riley Patterson on Tuesday.
Badgley has resided on Detroit's practice squad all season, but he was elevated Saturday and served as the team's kicker for a Week 16 win over the Broncos. Patterson was inactive for that contest and now finds himself in search of a new squad. While Badgley was tasked with only six point-after tries Saturday, he struck true on 20 of 24 field-goal attempts in 12 games for the Lions in 2022. He has two elevations remaining before the team will need to sign him to the active roster.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Goes back to practice squad
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Badgley reverted to the Lions' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Despite having Riley Patterson on the active roster, Detroit elevated Badgley from the practice squad ahead of Saturday's game against the Broncos. Badgley then was active over Patterson and handled all the kicking duties, including netting all six point-after tries. It's unclear if Badgley will continue to work as the Lions' placekicker Sunday at Minnesota, but he'll need to bump up from the practice squad Saturday in order to have a chance to do so.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Perfect on PATs
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Badgley converted six of six PATs during Saturday's 42-17 win over Denver.
After losing out in training camp to Riley Patterson due to Patterson's superior short-range accuracy, Badgley reclaimed the placekicking role in Week 15. This change followed Patterson's two missed extra-point attempts over the past three games. According to Jeff Risdon of USA Today, head coach Dan Campbell explained that Badgley and Patterson had been competing in practice for several weeks. Campbell commented, "For this game, it just was right and it's been that way for a while and this was the right move and so we're going to go there. Got a lot of faith in Badgley." It would be a surprise if Detroit doesn't stick with Badgley down the stretch.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Swapping in for Patterson
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Badgley is active for Saturday's game against the Broncos.
Riley Patterson had served as the Lions' placekicker for the first 13 contests of the season, but he's been usurped by Badgley for Week 15 after the latter was elevated from the practice squad earlier Saturday. Badgley made 12 appearances for Detroit last season, connecting on 20 of 24 field-goal attempts and all 33 point-after tries for a respectable 7.8 points per game.
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Michael Badgley: Joins Detroit's practice squad
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Badgley signed with the Lions' practice squad Wednesday, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.
Badgley was cut by the Titans on Sunday after converting three of four field goal attempts in Tennessee's preseason finale against the Patriots. prior to his brief stint in Tennessee, Badgley began training camp with the Commanders, but was waived Aug. 20 when Washington opted to go with Joey Slye as their kicker. Badgley, who kicked in 12 games for the Lions in 2022, will now spend the beginning of the 2023 season on the practice squad and could be a candidate for elevation if Riley Patterson struggles early on during the campaign.
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Michael Badgley: Time in Washington ends
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The Commanders plan to release Badgley on Sunday, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Badgley's dismissal leaves Joey Slye as the lone kicker on Washington's roster, though the Commanders could still look to bring in some outside competition before the preseason comes to a close. After converting on all 33 of his extra-point tries and 24 of 28 field-goal attempts over 13 games between the Bears and Lions in 2022, Badgley joined the Commanders on a one-year deal in Washington in July. Even if he doesn't find an opportunity elsewhere before Week 1, the 28-year-old's body of NFL experience should allow him to catch on elsewhere at some point during the 2023 season.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Returning to Detroit
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Badgley and the Lions agreed to a contract Friday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.
Badgley joined the Lions in early October and was still able to tally 100 points while serving as the placekicker for the team's final 12 games. He'll now return to Detroit for the 2023 campaign, one that many expect to be a leap forward for the Lions after a promising 2022.
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Lions' Michael Badgley: Reaches 100 points in 2022
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Badgley converted two of three field-goal attempts and both of his PATs during Sunday's 20-16 loss to Detroit.
Badgley missed wide left on a 46-yard attempt but otherwise received enough opportunities to top 100 points for the season. Now set to hit unrestricted free agency after putting together an impressive season between 13 total games with the Bears and Lions, Badgley is a strong candidate -- but not a lock -- to return to Detroit in 2023.
