For the first time during the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell era, there isn’t a question at the kicker position. For a 40-year stretch, the Detroit Lions have been spoiled at kicker, leaning on Eddie Murray from 1980 to 1991, then turning to Lions legend Jason Hanson from 1992 to 2012, and finally deploying Matt Prater from 2014 to 2020. But for the last three seasons, the Lions have tried kicker after kicker, and it didn’t seem like anybody was a long-term option.
That was until the team signed Jake Bates last season.
Let’s take a look at how Bates did in his rookie year and project if the Lions should add him to the list of players they should extend.