It’s hardly a secret the Chicago Bears have had a nightmare trying to find a kicker in the past several years. Robbie Gould was unceremoniously released back in 2016. Since then the team has gone through one miserable experience after another. There was Conor Barth, Mike Nugent, Cody Parkey, and of course Eddy Pineiro. None of them were able to show they deserved consideration as a long-term guy.
Then Pineiro suffered a groin injury in training camp. Forced into a tough decision, the Bears brought in veteran Cairo Santos as a stand-in. The team had familiarity with him already. Head coach Matt Nagy worked with him in Kansas City and he had a brief stint with the Bears back in 2017. Nobody expected much of anything from him.
Now here we are five games into the season and the subject must be broached. Is Santos morphing into a potential option beyond 2020? Don’t laugh. That’s a serious question. So far the 28-year old is 7-of-9 on his field goal attempts this season. His misses coming from 46 and 50 yards respectively. He’s a perfect 10-of-10 on his extra points.
He is also coming off one of the best performances a Bears kicker has had in years. One that got overshadowed by quarterback Nick Foles and the defense against Tampa Bay.
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Chicago Bears saw brillance from Santos on TNF
Most people remember Santos in that game for his big 38-yard kick to give the Bears the lead with 1:13 left to go. They were trailing 19-17 at the time so a miss would’ve likely meant a loss. No doubt a clutch moment.
Yet his best kick took place earlier in the 4th quarter. One that was criminally overlooked. The Bears had a great drive going. Then a poor decision by Matt Nagy to stop the hurry-up on offense led to a sack and fumble of Foles. They lost 17 yards on that play were forced to settle for a tough 47-yard field goal attempt. A miss there almost certainly would’ve been a backbreaker for Chicago.
Santos didn’t even blink.
Does anybody believe Barth, Parkey, or even Pineiro would’ve delivered under similar circumstances? It’s hard to believe that. Santos has had a rollercoaster carrer to this point. He looked like a rising star back in 2016. Then a nasty groin injury ended his time in Kansas City. Since then he’s bounced around the league, struggling to regain his former consistency.
Is it possible he’s found it? If so, then the Bears may finally have their guy.