Up to this point, the general buzz from Chicago Bears fans regarding kickers has centered around two areas. Either they sign another high profile veteran or they switch things up and go for a rookie. If it’s the latter, most of the buzz has surrounded two primary names.
The first is Cole Tracy who enjoyed a breakout run at LSU, showcasing excellent accuracy and calm under pressure. The other is Matt Gay of Utah, known for solid leg strength and navigating the sometimes difficult conditions of his home university’s state. However, it seems those two may not be the ones pro scouts are keen on.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune caught up with one at the scouting combine and discussed the various players in attendance. Every notable Bears subject was covered from the running backs to pass rushers and defensive backs. However, when it came to kickers? The scout seemed rather lukewarm on both Gay and Tracy.
Rather it was the other notable name people haven’t talked about much in Austin Seibert of Oklahoma.
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“Good leg strength on kickoff and field goals. Missed two long field goals. He’s got a nice leg.”
Austin Siebert has leg but Chicago Bears will have questions about deep accuracy
He’s not wrong. Seibert rarely had kickoffs returned against him during his time in college with 83% going for touchbacks. In 2018 he was near automatic, connecting on 17-of-19 field goals. Both misses came early in the season too. He was a perfect 14-of-14 over the final 10 games of the season when they really started to matter.
This speaks to a guy who has a strong mental discipline. However, there will be reservations as well. For starters, Seibert is only 5’9. That’s on the shorter side even for a kicker. The other is his deep accuracy. It’s no secret he has the strength to boom it. Controlling the trajectory has been a problem.
In the past three years, Seibert missed a total of seven field goals from beyond 40 yards. He went a paltry 1-of-3 from 50 yards or more. For a team like the Bears who need somebody who can kick with accuracy in often adverse weather conditions? That is something they need to be careful of.
The odds are Seibert will not be drafted though. That’s good news. Chicago should be able to bring him in and get a good feel for what he can do during training camp and the preseason.
