The Buffalo Bills are making another change at kicker.
The team announced early on Monday that they released veteran Michael Badgley from the practice squad, just hours after he had an extra point blocked in the team’s 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Badgley had struggled while filling in for Matt Prater, missing another extra point and leaving a kickoff short of the landing zone in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns.
Badgley’s release means the Bills must either find a new kicker or return to Prater, who suffered an injury in the team’s win over the New England Patriots in Week 15.
Bills Announce Badgley Release Hours After Loss
The Bills trailed the Eagles 13-0 with five minutes left in Sunday’s game when quarterback Josh Allen found a spark, leading the team to two straight touchdown drives. But instead of winning the game, the Bills missed the first extra point and opted to go for a two-point conversion after the second touchdown.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Badgley’s miss was a factor in going for two the second time.
âWanted to be aggressive, going for the win,â McDermott said, via Syracuse.com. âWe feel like only a certain amount of time left at that point, and, felt like we had a great call, great opportunity to go win it, and Iâm gonna be aggressive, so Iâm not gonna sit back. … I trust Josh Allen with the ball in his hands, and Iâd do it over again.â
Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino noted that Badgley appeared “erratic” in his field-goal attempts, missing several warm-up kicks before the game. The Bills opted not to go for a field goal during a third-quarter drive and again late in the fourth quarter, instead missing fourth-down conversions on both drives.
Bills Face Decision at Kicker
It’s not clear if the Bills will turn to another kicker after releasing Badgley from the practice squad. Pro Football Talkâs Mike Florio reported last week that the team brought in a trio of kickers for workouts before ultimately sticking with Badgley for the Eagles game.
âAs the Bills wait for kicker Matt Prater to recover from a quad injury, they considered a few alternatives on Tuesday to current replacement Michael Badgley,â Florio wrote. âThe Bills tried out three kickers on Tuesday: Younghoe Koo, Gavin Stewart, and Maddux Trujillo. None were signed.â
The Bills could also turn back to Prater for the season finale. McDermott told reporters last week that the veteran kicker was close to being able to return.
â(Heâs) getting there,â McDermott said. âHow close exactly I wonât know until we get into the start of the week this week, but from what he told me before the game, heâs getting real close.â
After Sunday’s loss knocked them out of contention to win the AFC East, the Bills have little on the line when they host the New York Jets next week. They are locked into a wild-card spot and will be playing only for seeding.
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