Lions general manager Brad Holmes expressed a desire to add a kicker to the practice squad at the end of training camp, which led to the signing of Greg Joseph last week. However, practice squad players are always vulnerable to being signed by other teams, and on Tuesday, that happened to the Lions.
Joseph’s agent, Brett Tessler, confirmed that the New York Giants have signed him to their active roster.
For the Lions, Joseph was simply a backup option, and his addition doesn’t indicate any insecurity regarding Jake Bates’ position. Bates has performed flawlessly, making all eight of his kicks in the first two games (five field goals and three extra points), proving the team’s faith in him during the preseason.
In New York, Joseph has a chance to step in immediately. The Giants’ kicker, Graham Gano, suffered a hamstring injury during the opening kickoff of last Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. He had previously been dealing with a groin issue, and the team had not prepared any backup plans. As a result, they lost the game to Washington due to the absence of a reliable kicker after Gano was injured.
Lions have open spot on practice squad after losing Greg Joseph
The Lions may consider adding another veteran kicker to the practice squad to replace Joseph, with former players Riley Patterson and Randy Bullock among the available candidates. Despite Jake Bates winning the starting job and performing well, having a veteran option on hand remains important.
The key takeaway for the Lions is that losing Joseph opens up a spot on the practice squad, which they can choose to fill as they see fit. With Tim Patrick likely heading to the 53-man roster soon, the team could potentially have two practice squad vacancies to address as they prepare for the start of the practice week on Wednesday.
