Chicago Bears: 6 kickers to keep an eye on in preseason
By Usayd Koshul
1. Joey Slye
One of the hottest names that’s taken NFL Preseason by storm so far, the Bears were able to get a front-row seat and check out Joey Slye for themselves when the Bears hosted the Carolina Panthers on August eight at Soldier Field.
Slye would impress in NFL debut, successfully attempting and making three field goals from distances of 29, 42, and 55 yards out. From that moment onwards, Slye should’ve been on the Bears radar.
In the Panthers second preseason game, Slye would hit two field goals again, this time from distances of 40 and 54 yards, putting his preseason field goal percentage at 100 percent. If anything Slye has proved that he belongs in the NFL.
Since the Panthers already have veteran Graham Gano on the roster, who’s hit 82.1 percent of his field goals since entering the NFL in 2012, it’s unlikely that Slye unseats Gano. Nonetheless, this situation is still worth monitoring as should Slye be cut by Carolina, he’d end up being the best possible option for the Bears.
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A 23-year old rookie that’s got a bright future in the NFL, Slye was an undrafted free agent that’s made a case for having an NFL home somewhere in 2019. If he doesn’t beat Gano out for the starting job, he’ll be picked up by some kicker needy team quickly. In other words, bringing in Slye would mean that the Bears have the kicking position figured out for at least the next decade.