The Detroit Lions feel confident about the quality and depth of their roster across the board. GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have spoken time and again about how much they like the overall talent on the team. While that may be true, there are a few areas that could still emerge as potential weaknesses during training camp and preseason.
One of those under-the-radar areas is the kicker spot. The general vibe around the team and the fanbase is that the down campaign Jake Bates just had was a fluke. There is a widespread expectation that the 27-year-old kicker will bounce back and return to his 2024 form.
Yes, Bates was excellent in his first year with the Lions and continued to be clutch in 2025 despite missing a lot of field goals. He has yet to miss a game-tying or go-ahead FG in the final minute of a game.
However, his numbers from last season are hard to ignore. He was 4/9 from attempts over 50 yards. His 79.4% conversion rate ranked near the bottom of the league.
Lions' complete faith in Jake Bates better pay off
If last season was an anomaly and Bates goes back to being a 89.7% kicker like he was as a rookie, great.
The problem is, there is no guarantee that this will be the case.
That is why it's surprising that the Lions aren't bringing in any training camp competition for Bates. In all likelihood, a new kicker isn't going to challenge Bates for the starting spot. However, it doesn't hurt to have a backup plan or see if you can upgrade at kicker.
Especially since kicking is such a mental and psychological endeavor, there is a real chance that Bates isn't able to bounce back. We have seen plenty of kickers who looked like elite options fall off dramatically once the downward spiral begins. A healthy competition could not only light a fire under Bates but also allow the Lions to find their next kicker if things go south with Bates.
Even if the Lions eventually wouldn't want to burn a practice squad spot on a kicker, using one of the 90 training camp roster spots would have made a lot of sense. Especially considering how much Campbell talked about the advantages of training camp competition all spring, intentionally choosing not to have one at kicker is difficult to understand.
At the end of the day, this may not matter. If Bates continues to miss field goals, however, it will matter. Then, we will remember this baffling decision to not bring any competition to training camp.
Add us as a preferred source on Google