The kicker competition with the Chicago Bears is being watched closely this offseason after the struggles the team had at the position last year, and Eddy Pineiro may have the upper hand with roughly a month to go until Week 1.
The Bears had been alternating kicker days during training camp between Pineiro and Elliott Fry, but they had the two go head-to-head over the weekend at Soldier Field. Pineiro seemed to handle it best, as he drilled all 12 of his kicks and hit a 60-yarder that Fry missed. As Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times notes, the nearly 19,000 fans in attendance let out a big roar when Pineiro hit from 60 yards.
“Maybe I’m crazy, [but] I think they’re doing decent,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy said of the competition. “It’s not the game, but they’re doing pretty good.”
Chicago is in desperate need of stability at kicker after Cody Parkey missed several key kicks last season, the most crucial of which wasn’t entirely his fault but ended the Bears’ season. Parkey, who was released not long after the season ended, made just 9-of-13 kicks from 40-49 yards in 2018. The Bears brought in several kickers during their rookie camp that were not impressive, and it’s possible they could still sign another veteran before Week 1. For now, it’s up to Pineiro or Fry to impress the coaching staff, and it sounds like Pineiro is off to a better start in training camp.
