There was plenty of blame to go around following the Chicago Bears' collapse against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. While several Bears have been shouldering the blame in the following days, the player who took the most criticism may have been veteran kicker Cairo Santos.
After missing a field goal that would have put Chicago up by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter, Santos really shot himself in the foot by not kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone with just over two minutes remaining in regulation and the Bears holding on to a single timeout.
Now, Santos is going to have to earn his spot on the roster if he wants to continue being the kicker in Chicago. According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears have signed former third-round pick Jake Moody to their practice squad to provide some added competition and motivation for the man who has served as Chicago's kicker since 2020.
Bears Officially Start Kicking Competition with Jake Moody Signing
The former San Francisco 49ers kicker joining the Bears' practice squad is the first indication that Santos' time in Chicago is nearing its end. While Santos has been a reliable option in the kicking game during his tenure with the Bears, he is coming off his worst season since 2020 after only converting on 84.0% of his field goal attempts during the 2024 campaign.
With that season fresh in the minds of fans and the coaching staff, the two miscues against the Vikings have clearly put a bullseye on the back of Santos. He will have his opportunity to bounce back this weekend against the Detroit Lions. Barring something unforeseen, Moody isn't going to be elevated from the practice squad by Sunday.
His presence alone, though, is going to put pressure on Santos to perform. Moody was a third-round pick for a reason. He was one of the most prolific kickers college football has seen in quite some time, earning First-Team All-American honors on two separate occasions as well as winning the Lou Groza Award in 2021.
For one reason or another, Moody never fully put it together during his tenure with the 49ers. We've seen it time and time again with kickers that a change of scenery can work wonders. If that ends up being the case for the former LSU Tigers standout now that he's kicking in the Windy City, and Santos is unable to solidify the job for himself, seeing a changing of the guard at that position in the coming weeks would not be surprising.
Needless to say, Bears fans will be monitoring Santos closely this weekend, knowing he can't afford another slip-up.