EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There was little cause for joy in the Bears’ locker room after they crawled to a 20-12 loss to the Giants on Sunday with mishaps in all phases, but kicker Michael Badgley was justified in smiling.
In the Bears’ moment of need, with ultra-reliable 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 in his debut, about 24 hours after signing with the team.
“I’m expecting a call every week to get a workout and go play,” he said. “They had something come up, I came in and won the job, and here we are.”
Badgley, 27, was working out in Huntington Beach, Calif., when the Bears called Thursday to see how quickly he could get to Halas Hall for a tryout. He landed shortly after midnight and was on the field Friday afternoon competing against Josh Lambo and Brian Johnson.
The next day, he signed a practice squad contract — with an immediate promotion to the active roster for the game — and boarded the team charter to kick against his childhood team. Badgley grew up in nearby Summit, N.J. and had a crew of family and friends in the stands.
He got the full MetLife Stadium experience, too, with light rain and wind that was officially 10 miles per hour but often gusted.
“Growing up, coming to Giants games, you know how it swirls... so you come into a game like this expecting that,” Badgley said. “I just figured, aim through the middle and let it go.”
Punter Trenton Gill handled kickoff duties, which Santos usually handles.
The Bears would be wise to keep Badgley around regardless of when Santos expects to return.
It’s common for a team to keep a kicker on its practice squad, and that’s actually how Santos got the job in 2020. Since then, he has made 91% of his field goals and 94% of his extra points.
Badgley, meanwhile, is in his fifth season and made 18 of 22 field goals and 40 of 41 extra points between stays with the Colts and Titans last season.
