Chicago Bears: 3 things to know about new kicker Eddy Pineiro

The NFL journey started rocky

After signing with the Oakland Raiders following the 2018 NFL Draft Pineiro spent all summer long with the team. He showed out in training camp and during the preseason, making all three of his attempts in game action.

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Pineiro admitted during Raiders training camp that he was learning a lot more, and that his role in the pros would be much different than it was at Florida. Pineiro stated that, while at Florida, he was asked to simply kick the ball as far as he possibly could on kickoffs. But, as a pro, the team cares much more about placement as well.

Throughout camp, it appeared as though Pineiro was the favorite to land the kicking job. The media spoke highly of him and most agreed that he had the lead over Mike Nugent throughout the summer months.

Ultimately, Pineiro suffered a groin injury and was placed on injured reserve on September 1st last season. Before he could even get a taste of his first regular season game, his rookie year ended altogether.

The league may have forgotten about Pineiro before he even had a chance to take the stage. Now, the Bears are hoping his health stays in tact so that he can potentially be the missing piece to this team with Super Bowl aspirations.