Dan Campbell Reacts to Jake Bates' Rough Performance Against Colts

The Detroit Lions entered training camp with Jake Bates entrenched as their kicker.

Detroit has traditionally prioritized competition across the board under the leadership of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, but elected to not bring any competitors for the kicker, punter or long-snapper spots this year.

As a result, Bates, punter Jack Fox and long-snapper Hogan Hatten took all the special teams reps throughout training camp. However, things took a turn in the team's preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

Bates missed a pair of extra points in the matchup, which the Lions won 25-16. Though this is a concerning development, Campbell did not appear concerned about Bates' production immediately following the conclusion of Saturday's 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 Lions brought Bates in to compete with Michael Badgley two seasons ago, and a preseason injury to Badgley thrust him into the starting role. Prior to signing with the Lions, Bates had been playing for the UFL's Michigan Panthers, who played their home games at Ford Field.

In his first season, the 2024 campaign, Bates played a big role in the Lions rolling to a 15-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. He made three game-winning kicks that season as part of a 26-for-29 performance on field goals and a 54-for-56 showing on extra points.

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Last year, Bates endured more struggles than the previous season but was still overall a consistent option for Detroit. He missed just two extra points, but went 27-of-34 on field goal attempts.

In his career, he has built an overall strong resume with just three total misses inside 50 yards over his first two seasons. However, he is 10-for-17 on kicks of 50-plus yards with a long of 59 yards which occurred last season.

With final cuts set to be completed by 6 p.m. Sunday across the league, the Lions could see some value in perhaps bringing on another kicker to the practice squad to compete for the job with Bates throughout the year.

The Lions have done this in the past, with a big example coming in the 2023 season when they signed Badgley to the practice squad to compete with Riley Patterson. While Patterson began the year as the starter, Badgley eventually won the job in practice and was elevated to the active roster as Patterson's replacement in December.

While Bates' struggles could simply be written off quickly with a strong start to the year, his consistency will be something to watch. 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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