Following the Brandon McManus release, the Denver Broncos signed free agent kicker Elliott Fry. At the moment, Fry is the only kicker on the 90-man roster, but there are concerns with him, as he has only played in three NFL games, making five out of six field goals, and five out of seven extra points.
With Fry's short NFL experience, I personally think that the Denver Broncos should at least sign a kicker to compete during training camp and preseason for the starting job. There are a few names out there that could be good candidates for Denver to sign, including Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby, Brett Maher, and others, just to name a few.
On Thursday, it was announced that the Detroit Lions released kicker Michael Badgley. The Lions traded for former Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson after former Bronco Brandon McManus signed with Jacksonville.
A surprise: The #Lions are releasing kicker Michael Badgley, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 20, 2023
Badgley is a guy that becomes an instant candidate to become the Denver Broncos' starting kicker, as he has been a very effective kicker over his career. He has played for five different NFL teams and has played in 60 career NFL games.
Last season, Badgley was signed by the Detroit Lions in week seven of the regular season and made an instant impact on the team. He went 20 of 24 in field goal attempts (83.3%) and was one of the only three kickers in the league to go with a perfect 100% in extra points. To be specific, Badgley went 33 out of 33 in extra points with Detroit last season.
Career-wise, Badgley has made a solid 81.7 percent of the field goals he's attempted (94/115) and 96.9 percent in extra points (155/160). The longest field goal he's made in his career is a 59-yard one.
Should the Denver Broncos sign Michael Badgley? Would he be an upgrade or good competition for Elliott Fry?