Special teams in the NFL can change the game for better or for worse. The Chicago Bears experienced the latter in grand fashion back in 2018 thanks to the “double doink” and worked to revamp their unit with one of the most highly-publicized kicking competitions ever and signing an All-Pro returner to kickstart the kickoff.
While the finished product certainly had room for improvement, particularly at the kicker position, it yielded quite a few positive results over the course of the season.
Now, one full year removed from the kicking fiasco, the Bears head into 2020 with a much more stable unit than they did last year at this time. Here’s how all key special teams contributors stack up heading into camp.
K Eddy Pineiro
The winner of the exhaustive Bears Bachelor-esque competition last summer, Pineiro held onto the job all year long after being traded from the then-Oakland Raiders and provided plenty of fireworks, both good and bad, as noted above.
For a while, it appeared the team had found its reliable kicker they had sought since the days of Robbie Gould when Pineiro converted 9-of-10 field goals in his first six games. Then the wheels came off, as he struggled to keep his consistency, going 3-of-7 in the middle of the season. Pineiro did rebound to close out 2019, nailing 11 consecutive kicks but questions still linger. His accuracy wasn’t consistent enough over an entire season and is his leg strong enough to hit deep field goals? Pineiro didn’t attempt a kick longer than 50 yards after his game-winning 53-yard field goal to win against the Broncos.
Going into the season, Pineiro is still the favorite to win the job, with far less competition breathing down his neck. Still, the kicker position is one of the most fluid in the NFL and if he endures another tough stretch, he probably won’t have the opportunity to rebound from it in Chicago.
K Ramiz Ahmed
Pineiro doesn’t have to go up against a dozen kickers, but he will need to beat out one. Ramiz Ahmed, signed earlier this offseason to push Pineiro, last kicked in college at Nevada in 2018 where he went 15/20 on field goals. Like Pineiro, his one area of concern is 50+ yard field goals, only converting 25% of them (1-of-4) during his final collegiate season.
Under normal circumstances, Ahmed would have a decent shot at unseating Pineiro during training camp and in the preseason. But with no preseason games slated for 2020 due to the pandemic, Pineiro has a clear advantage, barring any injuries. Ahmed will still get his chance, but it will be quite the upset should he win the competition.
P Pat O’Donnell
Can we still call him “Mega Punt?” Former Bears general manager Phil Emery took a lot of heat for drafting punter Pat O’Donnell in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. But O’Donnell has been an adequate punter during his career. He did come rank 23rd among punters with an average of 44.8 yards per punt, but he did have the second-longest punt in the NFL last year with a 75-yard banger, per The Football Database. He also ranked second with 26 punts caught with fair catches.
O’Donnell is a fine punter and while the Bears did bring in competition for him in the past, he’s the only punter on the roster at this point. He signed a two-year contract extension in 2019 and the Bears feel comfortable having him play out his deal. He isn’t the best, but you could do a lot worse.
LS Patrick Scales
Patrick Scales is probably best known for somehow being the second-most popular long snapper in Bears history with the first name Patrick. But the veteran has found a home in Chicago after bouncing around the league since 2011 with the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Scales signed with the Bears back in 2015 and has built a solid rapport with O’Donnell, as the two have been battery mates on punts and field goal attempts since he came to Chicago. Barring injury, Scales is locked in as the team’s long snapper for 2020.
KR Cordarrelle Patterson
Bears fans had a glimpse of what was to come from wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson back in 2018 when he torched his soon-to-be team as a member of the New England Patriots when he scored a return touchdown at Soldier Field. Signed to a two-year, $10 million deal in 2019, Patterson earned his paycheck as the MVP of the Bears special teams. In his first season with the Bears, he led the league in total kickoff return yards (825) and finished second with 29.46 average yards per return. Patterson also was a key gunner during punt returns, pinning teams deep thanks to his speed and physicality. He was named first team All-Pro last season.
Patterson does it all on special teams and has carved out a niche on offense as a gadget player. There was concern that the team could try and move him to try and free up cap space, but that doesn’t appear to be an option. Patterson will become a free agent at the end of the year and may be too expensive for the Bears to bring back. He’ll be ready for 2020 though and will look to build on an impressive 2019 campaign as the team’s special teams ace.
KR Tarik Cohen
The Bears are blessed to have not one, but two All-Pro caliber returners on special teams. Running back Tarik Cohen has developed into one of the most electrifying players in the NFL and has literally changed games from time to time with his ability as a punt returner. He had the second-most total punt yards in 2019 and finished fifth in yards per punt last season. Cohen possesses an incredible amount of speed and quickness, similar to Bears legend Devin Hester. But also like Hester, Cohen can sometimes do too much and end up losing yardage trying to make something out of nothing.
Cohen has vowed to stop running sideways and out of bounds this season, indicating he wants to be more aggressive when the ball is in his hands. He’s entering his final season as as a Bear and will likely be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Cohen’s never been one to shy away from a challenge.
KR Trevor Davis
The Bears decided to bring in some competition for both Patterson and Cohen, signing wide receiver Trevor Davis this offseason. The former Green Bay Packer spent time with the Raiders and Miami Dolphins last season before winding up in Chicago.
During his first two season, Davis played a small role on Green Bay’s offense, but then was assigned primarily to return duties. Davis is an average returner in the NFL. On another team, he’d likely stick around and serve as the primary returner on special teams. But with two excellent return specialists, Davis doesn’t have much of a chance to stick with the Bears in 2020.
