The Chicago Bears kicking competition didn’t end well on day one.
Okay Chicago Bears, fans, it’s time to panic.
Well, okay, it isn’t time to panic, it’s only day one. But the Bears’ kicking competition is off to a rotten start.
Have the Bears found their kicker? If they have, it won’t be because of their first impression.
Word was leaking out of the first rookie minicamp that the Bears’ kickers were struggling throughout the day.
Then we heard how the Bears finished their kicking competition and the results were not what anyone was hoping for.
We got our first glimpse at Matt Nagy’s kicking competition for the #Bears at rookie minicamp. With the entire team watching, each kicker had one shot from 43 yards out — the same distance that Cody Parkey missed from against the Eagles in the playoffs. 6 misses.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) May 3, 2019
Six misses out of eight? You can’t make this up. Here’s some more info that came out of minicamp about the kicking competition:
Matt Nagy says he wants to “put a little heat” on them. “2-for-8, that’s not good enough,” he said, acknowledging that the snap and holds weren’t good on some.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) May 3, 2019
“They know loud-and- clear why” the kick is from 43 yards out, Nagy said.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) May 3, 2019
The Bears finished practice today with each of the eight kickers attempting — you guessed it — a 43-yard FG. Six of the eight kickers missed. Redford Jones hit the left upright.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) May 3, 2019
John Baron and Spencer Evans made their 43-yard final kicks today. But that was not necessarily a reflection of how the entire day went for the kickers.***
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) May 3, 2019
*** — Bears media rules prohibit us from saying much more.
Redford Jones doinked the 43 yarder!?!? That couldn’t have gone much worse for what Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy had hoped for.
The competition has a long way to go, and I like the fact that the Bears tried to create a high-stress environment for the kickers, but the early results were not good.
A little birdie told me that Elliott Fry had the best day among all the kickers, but that, of course, is unofficial as the Bears prohibit the writers from giving out any more information.
Based on information that has come out from the kicking competition, the UDFA reports and some of the other collegiate reports, the top kickers in this competition right now are Chris Blewitt, Elliot Fry, John Baron and Casey Bednarski seem to be the top four kickers in this competition.
Let's check in and see how the Chicago #Bears kicking try outs went today. pic.twitter.com/bwExfPUfLt
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) May 3, 2019
Hopefully this kicking competition improves as rookie minicamp moves forward, but so far, the results are very sub par. Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy have a long way to go before they settle on a kicker.
For you Bears fans that wanted the Robbie Gould watch to go away, with results like this, that certainly isn’t happening any time soon.