Chicago Bears: Elliot Fry cut, kicking situation now more interesting

As the Chicago Bears continue to search for an answer to the teams kicking woes, things just got more interesting on Sunday afternoon.

Since the Chicago Bears season ended in January 2019, everyone’s been asking the same question: Who will the Bears next kicker be? The Bears started offseason programs trying out eight different kickers at Halas Hall. And of the eight, only one player was with the team during training camp in Bourbonnais.

The Bears would also then acquire Eddy Pineiro via trade from the Oakland Raiders. As the team headed into training camp, it appeared as if the competition would come down to Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro.

However, on Sunday, the Bears released Fry. However, this doesn’t mean that Pineiro has won the kicking competition just yet. In other words, the Bears aren’t just going to handover the kicking job to anyone for free. The team has made it clear that whoever the next kicker is, that person will need to earn the job.

In what is clearly a surprise move to many people, the Bears clearly messed up be moving on Fry this early. Through two preseason games, Fry wasn’t the best kicker on the field, however, he certainly wasn’t the worst either.

What’s most interesting about such a move is the timing of it. The Bears just got done playing the New York Giants and Fry would make an extra point but miss the one field goal he attempted all game.

Pineiro on the other hand in the same game would hit both of his field goal attempts, with his longest attempt being good from 41 yards out. If anything, this now means that the Bears are somewhat confident in Pineiro due to his strong leg that will play a factor in November and December at Soldier Field.

Why not give Fry at least three preseason games to evaluate what he can fully do? However, to the Bears, three weeks in training camp and two preseason games was enough for the team when it came to evaluating Fry. The reality is that you can’t judge a player based on what they do in practice. Sure he looked great in camp but the only way to really evaluate a player is in actual games against other opponents.

With the regular season approaching quickly, the Bears certainly seem like they aren’t hitting the panic button yet with regards to finding a kicker. What the team needs to do now is monitor every situation around the NFL to ensure that they find their next kicker.