Detroit Lions sign kicker Matthew Wright to future contract

The first official signing of the Dan Campbell era is *drum roll*

...

...

...

a kicker!

The Detroit Lions announced on Friday morning that they have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright to a futures deal.

Wright came out of UCF in 2019, going undrafted that year in the NFL, but quickly joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. At UCF, Wright converted 55 of 71 field goals and 210 of 213 extra points. However, the longest kick in his college career was just 50 yards.

Wright didn’t initially make the Steelers’ 2019 roster, but he returned to the team late in 2020 as the team's backup kicker when starter Chris Boswell was injured. In three game appearances, Wright went four-for-four on field goals (of 29, 37, 46 and 46 yards) and converted all seven extra point attempts.

The Lions have an interesting decision to make at kicker. Veteran Matt Prater is coming off a down year and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Prater has expressed an interest in coming back in 2021, but Detroit may want to get younger at the position. Prater turns 37 later this year, while Wright will turn 25 in March.