Matt Prater could be headed to the Lions
The Detroit Lions are searching for a new kicker, and it appears that they have found their man. According to a report from Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, the Lions are expected to sign former Denver Broncos starting kicker Matt Prater. Prater was released from the roster last week after coming off of a four-game suspension due to a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.
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Detroit had also looked at Jay Feely for the job, but it appears that Prater beat him out after the two both tried out for the Lions on Monday.
Prater nailed 25-of-26 field goals with the Broncos last season, and has one of the stronger legs in the NFL. Detroit will be getting a much better kicker than they had in Alex Henery, who was released after missing three field goals in Sunday’s loss against the Buffalo Bills. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ kicker Connor Barth was also involved in the Lions’ kicker tryout.
Needless to say, Prater would be the exact type of upgrade that Detroit is looking to bring on board. He has a strong, accurate leg and has experience kicking in big games and clutch situations. Denver released him due to the off-field issues that he had, but they also found Brandon McManus who has been great for them and is a much cheaper option as well.
It seems like a done deal that the Lions will sign Prater in the near future, so Lions fans can go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief. Detroit is locked into a tough division battle with both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, and kickers can come up huge later on in the season. Losing a game like the Lions lost to the Bills due to three missed field goals is unacceptable, and the Lions’ signing of Prater would make sure that they didn’t go through that situation again.
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