As GM Brad Holmes hinted at 2 weeks ago, the Detroit Lions have added a veteran kicker to their practice squad.
Two weeks ago, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said that the team intended to bring in some competition and guidance to their kicker room.
“We’ll still look at adding another kicker to the practice squad,” Holmes said. “Guy that had a little bit more experience.”
Well, it appears the Lions have found their guy. According to his agency, veteran kicker Greg Joseph is signing to the Lions’ practice squad.
Joseph entered the league in 2018 as an undrafted prospect. He ended up having a strong season with the Cleveland Browns, making 17-of-20 kicks, including all 11 attempts from 20-39 yards. However, the next year he was beaten out by rookie fifth-round pick Austin Seibert.
Joseph eventually found a steady home with the Minnesota Vikings. He served as their kicker in every game from 2021 to 2023. Over that time, he made 83-of-101 field goals (82.2%) and 90.3% of his extra points, with a long kick of 61 yards. Over his career, his long-distance kicking has been mixed, converting on 16-of-28 kicks from 50 yards or longer.
This past year, the Vikings opted not to re-sign Joseph and he found a job with the Green Bay Packers. While he made the team’s initial 53-man roster, he only lasted a day before the team moved on to eventually add rookie Brayden Narveson after cutdowns.
At this point, there’s no reason to believe that current Lions kicker Jake Bates is in any danger of losing his job. The Lions have been very patient with him throughout his early struggles, and Bates rewarded them with a perfect Week 1: 2-for-2 on field goals, 2-for-2 on extra points.
But having a veteran in the room not only provides the Lions with some insurance, but it should be good for Bates’ development.
The Lions have not made the signing official yet, but they did have a spot on their practice squad open after signing DT Chris Smith to the 53-man roster on Saturday (before cutting him on Monday).
