With a 12-5 record and their first postseason victory since the 1991 season, the Detroit Lions had a fantastic 2023 year.
They may still have space for improvement, though, as their success carried them to the NFC Championship Game, where they fell to the San Francisco 49ers after blowing a 17-point lead.
Per Dov Kleiman, they have re-signed kicker Michael Badgley to a one-year contract.
Throughout his four regular-season appearances for Detroit, Badgley converted all four of his field goal attempts and thirteen of his fifteen extra-point attempts.
He performed flawlessly on field goals and extra-point kicks during this year’s playoffs.
Having started the season on Detroit’s practice squad, he was moved up to the starting lineup following Riley Patterson’s departure.
Having played for the team for the majority of the 2022 season prior, Badgley was 20 of 24 on field goals and made all 33 of his extra-point attempts in 12 games.
Just over a month after the Lions released him in July, they brought him back.
Both sides of the football field are mostly young, although they do have some talented players, like tight end Sam LaPorta, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson.
But the real question is whether Jared Goff, the quarterback, who finished the season with 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns, can improve and emerge as a legitimate contender for the championship.
Even though the NFC North will probably be more competitive in 2024, the Lions must be the clear favorite to win the division once more.
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