The week before the Bears hold their first padded practice, Eddy Pineiro seems to have won the kicker derby.
The Bears on Tuesday waived Ramiz Ahmed, the former Nevada player they signed in April to push Pineiro.
The Bears weren’t shy about promoting competition for the kicker job a year ago. To replace Cody Parkey, they held a kicker derby during the 2019 rookie minicamp and then sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders for Pineiro. He beat out Elliott Fry during training camp and served as the team’s kicker for the entire season, making 23-of-28 field goals.
The Bears asked Pineiro to put on mass during the offseason. Last week, special teams coordinator Chris Tahor said he’d both added weight and decreased his body fat. He said the ball was “jumping off his foot really well” during the early part of training camp.
“Last year was his first full NFL season,” he said of Pineiro. “So, I think that’s why him putting on the weight and being able to handle as it gets colder and the ball isn’t flying as far, being able to use some of those attributes that he has, that is going to benefit him.
“We’re going to put pressure on him and he puts pressure on himself. And that’s what I love about the kid. We have not arrived at that kicking spot. We are always a work in progress and we still have things to prove and we’re excited to get back out on the field.”
Ahmed made the Nevada team in a tryout after attending Arizona State and UNLV as a student. He went 15-for-20 on field goals during his senior year in 2018. He spent 2019 training.
To fill the open roster spot, the Bears agreed to a deal with safety Marqui Christian, sources said.
He was suspended for the first two games of 2020, but could fill a special teams role similar to that of safety Jordan Lucas, who opted out last week.
Christian, who was close to a deal with the Jets in March, started one game for the Rams in four seasons. He ranked second on the team in special teams snaps in both 2018 and 2019, totaling 733 downs.
