Chicago Bears waive Redford Jones and John Baron II
The Chicago Bears have been hosting kickers like crazy this offseason. They had four kickers officially on the roster as of May 6, 2019. That number is down to two for now.
The Chicago Bears finished their rookie minicamp on Sunday after having eight kickers present for tryouts. The camp started out rough as only two of the eight kickers made the same 43-yard kick Cody Parkey double-doinked in the Bears’ playoff game last season. I know, we are talking kickers again. It comes with the territory though as the position has struggled since and including Robbie Gould.
#Bears down to two kickers on the roster (Elliott Fry and Chris Blewitt). They waived Redford Jones and John Baron.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) May 5, 2019
Things started to look better throughout camp, but apparently, two of the kickers did not show enough promise for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. The Bears announced that they waived Redford Jones and John Baron II. As of now, this means only Chris Blewitt and Elliott Fry are on the official roster. Do not be shocked if things continue to be shaken up at this position before the season starts.
Redford Jones was the first kicker the Bears signed after the Cody Parkey debacle. He played in Tulsa from 2015-2017 where he finished his collegiate career as a 74.6% field goal kicker. He was one of the cool new names everyone was talking about. Sounds like a character Sean Connery would play in an action movie. Unfortunately for Jones, he will not be starring in any roles for the Chicago Bears.
It seems Jones missed too many kicks during practice. He missed the final kick on Sunday and caused the team’s offensive players to have to do up-downs as a result. Have you ever done up-downs after a long practice? Those are brutal and I am sure no one appreciated having to do more work because of yet another missed kick from a Chicago Bears kicker.
The Bears also decided to waive John Baron II. Baron played was the starting kicker his last three years (2016-2018). During that time, he made 83.3% of his field goals. Unfortunately, Baron must not have shown enough to prove the Bears should keep him around any longer.
We all knew that the Bears were going to go through a lot of kickers. They are obviously trying to find a young kicker to bring up with them during this quick turnaround. The team can not go through another season as they did in 2018.
Next. Chicago Bears: Making a mess of kicking position. dark
Whether it ends up being Chris Blewitt, Elliott Fry or a player yet to be signed, Ryan Pace cannot get this wrong again. We also cannot keep hoping Robbie Gould is an option either. To be honest, I am getting tired of talking about and I am sure everyone is getting tired of hearing about the Bears’ kicker position. Get it right Pace, we all need to move on.