After a gruesome first day of mandatory minicamp where Bears kickers went 0-for-3 collectively, Chris Blewitt was cut and the kicking competition was narrowed from three to two.
With Blewitt’s dismissal, Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro were put on notice. If they’re not going to perform, they’re going to get cut.
Fry and Pineiro heard Nagy’s message loud and clear and fared much better in their second day of minicamp. Both kickers showed accuracy from distances of 45-plus and 50-plus yards.
But the problem is that Fry and Pineiro can go 0-for-2 one day and the next be perfect or near-perfect. It’s that lack of consistency at a position that’s become vital for the Bears that doesn’t bring peace of mind.
With just over a month before the Bears enter training camp, there hasn’t been much progress made to remedy their kicking situation. It’s been inconsistent at best and frustrating at worst.
Bears coach Matt Nagy said that the remaining kickers “need to win the job,” and he didn’t rule out looking elsewhere if need be.
“Here’s what I’ll say: We’re always going to be put into a position to where if don’t feel like we have the answer, we’re always going to look,” Nagy said. “We’re going to do that with every single player. … Those guys, we’re going to have them compete. They know that right now. Our own kickers know that. They need to win to the job.“
Despite Robbie Gould still not having reported to the San Francisco 49ers offseason program, he doesn’t appear to be on a track headed back to Chicago. But there are other veteran options still on the market, such as former Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant.
But there won’t be any peace of mind until the Bears finally find an answer to their kicker woes. Whatever answer that might be.
