The Chicago Bears kicking competition concluded its first leg on Sunday during the final day of rookie minicamps. Head coach Matt Nagy kept things simple through the first two days. Each of the eight kickers involved would have one chance at the end of practice to hit a 43 or 42-yard field goal with the entire team watching.
Certainly, a great way to put some artificial pressure on the young legs. After the two days, only one of them managed to connect on both kicks. That was Spencer Evans out of Purdue. However, things got far more interesting on the final day. This time Nagy switched things up. The premise is simple. Two kickers would be chosen.
One representing the offense and the other the defense. Each would take turns hitting field goal with the distance being increase with every round. The first one to miss, that side of the ball would be punished with 25 up-down while the losing kicker was forced to stand in the circle watching. Certainly a great way to create some fear and embarrassment.
Casey Bednarski has stood out in Chicago Bears kicking competition
It was going to take a lot for Bednarski to get noticed coming out of tiny Minnesota State. He’s managed to do so thus far. One for his tremendous athleticism, showing repeatedly capability of doing a standing backflip. The other for his substantial leg power. The young man once hit a 63-yarder during his final year for the Mavericks back in 2017.
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He also went 25-of-27 overall on his field goal attempts. So he’s clearly capable of both hitting from a distance and hitting with consistency. He also doesn’t lack for size at 6’1, 215 lbs. GM Ryan Pace said he wanted a kicker that could handle the tough conditions of Soldier Field from the wind to the high-pressure atmosphere.
Early impressions hint that he has the talent for it. The competition is far from over though and he’ll have to maintain this momentum moving into training camp. Presuming he receives a contract off for his efforts, of course.
