Getty Eddy Pineiro of the Chicago Bears
The Bears have placed kicker Eddy Pineiro on the injured reserve list with a groin injury, which means Cairo Santos will very get the nod Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. Pineiro will miss at least the first three games of the 2020 season, and Santos, who is currently on the team’s practice squad, will be moved up to the 53-man roster.
The Bears also officially announced the signing of new defensive end Mario Edwards, a former second-round draft pick of the Raiders in 2015. Edwards is expected to fill in on the line as a depth piece behind Akiem Hicks and Roy Robertson-Harris when needed.
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Cairo Santos Stats: He Had a Very, Very Bad 2019…
GettyEx-Titans kicker Cairo Santos leaves the field after missing four field goal attempts in a 14-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Nissan Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
Those familiar with Santos’ work in 2019 may want the Bears to consider trying for two-point conversions a bit more. A six year vet, Santos played seven games with the Tennessee Titans in 2019, and he went 4-9 on his field goal attempts. He was 12-12 on his extra point attempts, but after he missed four field goals in a 14-7 loss against the Buffalo Bills, he was released by the team. He has not played since.
Santos spent his first three seasons playing in Kansas City, where he worked with Matt Nagy. Over his six-year career, Santos has made 80.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 96.4 percent of his extra point tries. He has also struggled from distances 40 yards or more throughout his career. He is 8-17 on kicks of 50+ yards and 28-38 on kicks in the 40-49 yard range.
Still, early word about his performance in training camp this year has been positive.
For what it’s worth, Cairo Santos was lights out at the Soldier Field scrimmage. I commented last week that his performance would have won the kicker competition last year.
Whose Roster Spot Will Santos Fill?
With Pineiro on IR, Santos will be kicking on Sundays for the next several weeks, and he’ll have to take a spot on the team’s 53-man roster, which is currently chock full at 53. While it’s unlikely, some analysts have suggested that if running back David Montgomery’s groin injury is still a problem, it’s possible Montgomery hits the injured reserve list next with Santos then taking his roster spot.
Still, Pineiro being on the IR to start his second season with the team is not ideal. He won a hyper-scrutinized kicking competition last year, beating out a ridiculous number of kickers, but he also had injury issues last year, playing through a pinched nerve in his knee. If Pineiro can rebound and come back full strength to boot accurate, long-range field goals, he has a shot at being the team’s kicker of the future. But if Santos starts the season hot and Pineiro is slow to return, the Bears could be in the market for a new long-term kicker once again.
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