The Bears have made a decision on their Week 1 kicker. The team is officially rolling with Eddy Pineiro, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). “He deserves it,” head coach Matt Nagy said.
The Bears traded a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Raiders back in May for Pineiro, and now he’s won their competition. The Bears have cycled through kickers this offseason, leaving no stone unturned in their search to replace Cody Parkey. Parkey, of course, missed a last-second field goal in the Bears’ playoff loss to the Eagles last year that would’ve sent them on to the next round.
Pineiro beat out former AAF kicker Elliott Fry, among others, in the months-long battle. When Fry was waived a couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the Bears were still in the market for another kicker and it looked like they preferred an outside option to Pineiro, but they ultimately opted not to add anybody off the street or on waivers. Pineiro showed well in the preseason, nailing a 58-yarder, which clearly helped his cause. The Florida product signed with Oakland as an undrafted free agent last year, and spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve. He may have made the roster for now, but he’ll be on a short leash considering the intense scrutiny that any Bears kicker will be under.
I doubt the Bears have solved their kicking problem. Should have just traded for Mason Crosby.
that would solve the Packers kicking problem, not the Bears. FTP.
This
Trade for Crosby? That’s a bad move in so many ways.
Leaving no stone unturned would have been along the lines of scouting actual good kickers or trading for one.