Lions' waived kicker winds up getting claimed by NFC North rival
On Tueday the Detroit Lions signed UFL kicking sensation Jake Bates to a two-year deal. That was expected and the right thing to do. What seemed like the wrong thing to do was release undrafted rookie James Turner. Turns out he didn't go far. He was claimed off waivers by Lions' NFC North rivals the […]
On Tueday the Detroit Lions signed UFL kicking sensation Jake Bates to a two-year deal. That was expected and the right thing to do. What seemed like the wrong thing to do was release undrafted rookie James Turner.
Turns out he didn't go far. He was claimed off waivers by Lions' NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.
It makes sense that they would make this move. The Packers were in the Jake Bates hunt as well and even had contact with him. Ultimately Bates chose to stay in Detroit and the Packers get the guy they released to make room for him.
While it's still just the spring, Turner had a very good showing for the Lions during his time at Allen Park. While the incumbent kicker Michael Badgley continued to miss kicks in front of the media, it was Turner that didn't miss once.
He will have to compete for a job in Green Bay with two other kickers in Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph. He should have a decent shot to make their roster based off what we saw in Detroit.
The Lions will be fine with either Bates or Badgley, but it still feels like it was the wrong move to let Turner go.
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The Detroit Lions spent a lot of time overhauling their secondary this offseason. One of the additions the team made after the draft was signing Ball State safety Loren Strickland. It might have been one of their best sneakily done moves of the offseason because Strickland has a lot of what the Lions look for on […]
