Saturday open thread: Who will win the starting kicker job for the Lions?

After trading for kicker Riley Patterson last week, the Detroit Lions now have three kickers fighting for the starting job in Patterson, Parker Romo and Michael Badgley. It’s hard to say who has had the edge so far, but with Organized Team Activities (OTAs) kicking off, it’s the first chance for any of those guys to try and get a leg up over the others.

So far, Parker Romo has really impressed with his leg strength, but he’s also knocking them down with good accuracy. Badgley is obviously the safe choice since you know what you’re getting with him and he was fairly reliable for the team last year, and the Lions also have some familiarity with Patterson, too, who really impressed with the Jaguars last year.

Today’s Question of the Day is...

Who will win the starting kicker job for the Lions?

My answer: Am I going to overreact to one day of OTAs? Yes, absolutely. Give me Parker Romo as the Lions’ starting kicker. He’s shown that he has the strongest leg of the bunch, and he’s been accurate in his time in the XFL, as well as his very short stint so far in OTAs.

Patterson has shown that he has a very accurate leg during his time in the league, but his leg strength is still pretty questionable. Badgley has also been a very accurate kicker, especially under 40 yards, but his kicking from long distance, especially from 50+ yards has been suspect throughout his career, though 2-for-3 on kicks 50+ yards or more for the Lions last year.

The Lions are in a pretty good spot finally where I don’t think they will be in a spot where their kicker is a liability no matter who they choose, but this is going to be a tough choice for them, as all three options are viable.