It's official: Eddy Pineiro will be the Bears placekicker to start the season.
Head coach Matt Nagy shared the news with reporters Sunday, saying, “He deserves it.”
Pineiro won the kicking job in a wide-open preseason competition that had all the drama of a reality show. The Bears released kicker Cody Parkey in the offseason after he missed a 43-yard field goal in a playoff loss to the Eagles (the NFL officially ruled the kick was tipped). Looking for a replacement, Chicago acquired Pineiro, who went undrafted in 2018 out of the University of Florida, from the Raiders in May. They also brought in eight kickers to the team's rookie minicamp.
The kicking competition played out throughout the preseason, with the media reporting the situation with coverage normally reserved for a quarterback battle.
The Bears waived kicker Elliott Fry on Aug. 18, leaving Pineiro as the lone remaining kicker on the roster. Still, there remained the possibility the team would see what kickers were available after the final NFL roster cuts to see if Pineiro would keep the job. In the meantime, Pineiro saw his fortunes rise (he nailed a 58-yard field goal in the third preseason game) and fall (he missed a PAT in the preseason finale).
“We have fought through to this point right now,” Nagy said after the final preseason game (via the Chicago Tribune). “I just like where he’s at. We’ll discuss it and decide is that the route we want to go. And if it is, then we just need to have a little bit of patience ... Hopefully he is somebody we end up going with and we stick with and he wins us games.”
The Bears open the season at home Thursday night against the Packers.