The Detroit Lions have a three-man kicking game in the works.
The Lions acquired kicker Riley Patterson Thursday from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a conditional selection in the seventh round of 2026.
Patterson made 13 of 14 field goals with the Lions in 2021, but lost a camp fight to Austin Seibert for the kick job last summer.
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The Jaguars claimed Patterson off waivers, and reportedly would release him on Thursday after signing former Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus.
The Lions, who waived undrafted rookie receiver Keytaon 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 Seibert struggled early on.
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The Lions re-signed Badgley to a one-year deal this off-season, adding Romo, who spent the spring punting for the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, earlier in May after a tryout at rookie minicamp.
Dave Fipp, Lions special teams coordinator, said Thursday before the trade that he liked where the team was with the kicking position.
“I feel really good about the two guys we have now,” said Fipp. “Badgley obviously played well for us a year ago. He’s a very accurate kicker. Maybe not some of the leg power and stuff like some of these guys, but the guy we brought in, John Parker Romo, has a big leg , he’s talented, he’s been really good to us. I think it’s going to be a good game and I’m curious to see how it turns out.”
Patterson, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings and was signed by the Lions for the New England Patriots exhibition team 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 originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions trade for Riley Patterson, have 3-man competition
