Bears' new kicker was very proud of the way he handled himself on Sunday
There was very little cause for joy in the Bears' locker room after they lost to the Giants on Sunday with errors in all phases, but kicker Michael Badgley was justified in smiling.
Indeed, in the Bears' moment of need, with great kicker Cairo Santos away because of a personal situation, Badgley stepped in and made all four of his field goals. He hit from 29, 22, 40 and 35 yards about 24 hours after signing with the team.
Without a team this year, he continued to kick and work out from home in California, waiting for a phone call like the one he got from the Bears.
Badgley scored all of the Bears' points against the Giants with field goals of 29, 22, 40 and 35 yards. As if this wasn't enough, the New Jersey native was able to play against his hometown team in front of friends and family.
Familiar with the stadium, Badgley wasn't surprised by the windy conditions we saw at Metlife.
It would be wise for the Bears to keep Badgley around regardless of when Santos expects to return.
Indeed, it's common for a team to keep a kicker on its practice squad, and that's actually how Cairo Santos got the job in 2020. Since then, he has made 91% of his field goals and 94% of his extra points.
Badgley is in his fifth season and made 18 of 22 field goals and 40 of 41 extra points with the Colts and Titans last season.
