Although the Lions waived Justin Medlock earlier this week, they have quickly brought in another kicker: former Ohio State Buckeye Aaron Pettrey. The Panthers just released Pettrey last week after originally signing him earlier this year as an undrafted free agent.
Pettrey's deal with the Lions lasts for one year, but unless Jason Hanson suffers an injury, there's no chance he will make it past the final round of roster cuts. Actually, he probably won't make it past the first round of roster cuts in August. Every summer in recent memory the Lions have brought in a second kicker to share some of the workload with Jason Hanson (Matt Prater and Dave Rayner are just a couple of the names I remember), and this year is no different.
I'm not exactly sure why so many people are speculating that this means Hanson's time is numbered or that the Lions are replacing him, because that's not the case at all. Just like year's past, the Lions are bringing in another body for training camp and nothing more. If there's an injury obviously things would change, but Hanson is the Lions' kicker and Pettrey will simply get some work during training camp and a few preseason games. That's pretty much it, though.