Chicago Bears: Keep an eye on Kaare Vedvik

The Chicago Bears are still searching for a kicker and the Baltimore Ravens could have a potential answer for the Bears kicking woes.

It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears kicking competition has been the most watching positional battle by everyone this offseason. While the team has put the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles behind them, the Bears kicking situation remains unsolved.

So far, after one preseason game, Elliott Fry seems to have the upper hand. Against the Carolina Panthers, Fry converted a 43-yard field goal. On the other hand, Eddy Pineiro missed a 48-yard attempt but did manage to successfully hit a 23-yard attempt.

However, on Thursday night, there was also another young unproven kicker making his NFL debut and trying to prove that he belongs on an NFL roster: Kaare Vedvik of the Baltimore Ravens. If the Fry and Pineiro don’t do enough to impress the Bears, Vedvik could be a potential option for the Bears when teams begin cutting down their rosters later this month.

In his first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vedvik would go 4-4, hitting two extra-point attempts. Additionally, his longest was from 55 yards. The significance of this? Fry and Pineiro have yet to attempt a field goal from 50 or more yards in an actual NFL game. Vedvik has already done so, proving that if needed, he could do so again.

A major reason that Vedvik is worth keeping an eye on is because the Baltimore Ravens already have their kicker on the roster in Justin Tucker. Over the last few years, Tucker has been one of the more consistent kickers in the NFL. Tucker is also at this point, a lock to win the starting job.

Most clearly don’t know Vedvik’s journey to the NFL. Born in Norway, Vedvik would attend college and play for Marshall University. Eventually, he’d go undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft and be picked up by the Ravens. Last season, he didn’t appear in a single game and now appears to be getting ready to finally make a name for himself in the NFL.

As unproven as Vedvik is, he’s one guy who seems to have everything the Bears are looking for in a kicker in terms of having a strong leg and being accurate. However, if the Bears want to land Vedvik, it will need to be via trade as there are other teams like the Cleveland Browns who could potentially be looking at Vedvik as well.

The Bears are getting to a point where the regular season is approaching fast and while the kicking competition is still going on, Vedvik is a guy who could be the Bears long-term solution at the kicker position. One of the things to note is that in order to be truly confident in him, he needs to build upon a strong performance in his first preseason game.