Dan Campbell isn’t sounding the alarm on Jake Bates after a shaky finish to the Detroit Lions’ preseason.
Bates missed two extra points in Saturday’s 25-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, but Campbell brushed it off after the game.
"I'm not worried about Bates. He just pushed them a little bit," Campbell said, via the Detroit News.
"He'll be fine. He'll be fine."
The misses stood out because Bates entered camp with the kicker job basically his. The Lions did not bring in competition at kicker, punter or long snapper this summer, leaving Bates, Jack Fox and Hogan Hatten to handle all of the special teams reps throughout camp.
That setup has been the norm for Detroit’s specialists, but Bates’ latest performance created at least a little unease heading into the regular season. Still, the Lions have seen plenty from him before.
Detroit first brought Bates in to challenge Michael Badgley two seasons ago, and when Badgley suffered a preseason injury, Bates stepped into the starting role. Before landing with the Lions, Bates had been kicking for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who played at Ford Field.
His first year in Detroit, the 2024 season, was a major one. Bates helped the Lions surge to a 15-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, knocking through three game-winners while finishing 26-for-29 on field goals and 54-for-56 on extra points.
Last season was a little bumpier, but still solid overall. Bates missed just two extra points and went 27-of-34 on field goals.
Even with those numbers, his track record remains strong inside 50 yards, where he has only three total misses over his first two seasons. The longer kicks have been more of a mixed bag, though: he is 10-for-17 from 50-plus yards, with a long of 59 yards last season.
With final cuts due by 6 p.m. Sunday across the league, the Lions could still decide there’s value in adding another kicker to the practice squad and keeping some pressure on Bates during the year.
Detroit has done that before, most notably in 2023 when it signed Badgley to the practice squad to compete with Riley Patterson. Patterson opened that season as the starter, but Badgley eventually won the job in practice and replaced him on the active roster in December.
For now, Bates is still the guy. But after Saturday, his consistency is going to be worth watching closely. Bates signed a one-year, exclusive rights free agent tender with the Lions this offseason after his initial two-year contract expired.
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