Lions lose kicker Michael Badgley to season-ending leg injury at training camp

The Detroit Lions made it through just one day of training camp before the injury bug hit them Thursday. Kicker Michael Badgley suffered a season-ending leg injury while warming up for practice on Thursday, leading to the Lions placing him on injured reserve.

Badgley, a former undrafted free agent out of Miami, is in his third season with the Lions. With him out, the team will likely bring in kickers to try out through training camp and the preseason. Detroit has one other kicker on the roster, former Arkansas kickoff specialist Jake Bates .

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Badgley suffered a torn hamstring. That puts his recovery timeline at roughly half a year. Last season, he played in four games, knocking through four field goals and 13-of-15 extra point attempts.

During the 2022 season, Badgley had 24 field goal attempts in 12 games, hitting 20 through the uprights. He also went a perfect 33-for-33 on extra-point attempts.

Before joining the Lions for the 2022 season, Badgley had played for four other teams. He began his NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers. He kicked for three seasons before moving to the Titans, then the Colts and Bears. Despite playing for five different teams, he’s only in his seventh season in the league.

So far through six seasons, he’s kicking field goals with a 82.4% success rate. Badgley’s also made 168 of his 175 extra-point attempts.

Injuries begin to crop up after start of NFL training camp

On Thursday, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that LA Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick has also suffered a season-ending injury.

Kendrick is a former 2022 draft pick for LAR and he had come along nicely so far in the NFL, but there’s now concern that he has torn his ACL in practice just over a month before the season starts. Schefter tweeted out the scary news on Thursday morning:

“Sources: Rams projected starting CB Derion Kendrick, the team’s 2022 sixth-round pick, is feared to have torn his ACL during practice. He will undergo additional testing to confirm the initial diagnosis,” Schefter shared.

Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed the team’s suspicions on Thursday afternoon.

“He’ll have a lot of support from his teammates and coaches and he’ll attack rehab,” Sean McVay said. “He’ll probably get that surgery here in a couple weeks. That’s tough for him and (we’re) bummed out about that.”

Kendrick, the 2022 sixth-round pick out of Georgia, started in 12 games for the Rams this past season, posting 49 tackles (41 solo), three tackles for loss and 10 passes defended. Kendrick suited up in 15 games (six starts) during his rookie campaign, compiling 43 tackles (36 solo) and four passes defended.

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this report.

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