And then there were two: the Detroit Lions announced their signing of kicker Jake Bates on Tuesday while simultaneously announcing they have waived one of the other kickers in the competition.
The team revealed it has waived undrafted free-agent signing James Turner from the roster, which clears the space for Bates. The move is at least somewhat surprising considering the fact that it looked like Turner was winning the fight against the veteran in the competition, Michael Badgley.
Beat writers on the ground reported that Turner had gotten the better of Badgley on at least two occasions this offseason during team periods. So, it would appear that Turner simply wasn't good enough in the portions writers did not see.
Whatever the case may be, Turner is out and Bates is in. But the former UFL kicker is no lock to make the cut, as his two-year, $1.9 million contract only includes $150,000 guaranteed.
Because Turner was excellent the past few weeks, with leg strength to match anyone I've seen in my 12 years covering the team. I thought there was a chance he'd stick and compete with Bates.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) June 18, 2024
Bates enters the competition with an advantage in terms of leg strength after he made several ridiculously long kicks with the Michigan Panthers during the UFL season.
However, Badgley no doubt has the leg up in experience and is a much more proven commodity than Bates, who has never attempted a field goal in the NFL.
