Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chicago Bears have a kicking dilemma. The franchise that brought you Cody Parkey’s “Double Doink” from the 2018 playoffs is once again trying to decide which kicker they should start moving forward. But unlike previous years, this one has a different feel.
The Bears started the season by relying on Cairo Santos as their kicker, but elevated Jake Moody from the practice squad for Monday night’s win over the Washington Commanders when Santos couldn’t play due to a right thigh injury.
Moody responded with an impressive performance that included a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. But when asked if Santos would be the team’s kicker when healthy during his press conference on Wednesday, head coach Ben Johnson gave a simple “Yes” via CHGO’s Bears account on X.
Ben Johnson Cools Off Bears Kicker Debate After Jake Moody’s Debut
Santos has been solid for the Bears this season and has been Chicago’s kicker dating back to the 2020 season. While he’s knocked down 89.2% of his kicks in a Chicago uniform, one of his flaws is kicking from long range, where he’s made 23-of-31 (74.1%) of his kicks from 50 or more yards.
One of the more infamous misses occurred when he had a long field goal blocked in the final seconds of a loss to the Green Bay Packers last November, and while he’s made 92.8% of his kicks inside of 50 yards during his time with the Bears, kickers are kicking from further distances, putting Chicago at a disadvantage.
Because of this, Moody seems like an upgrade. His best season came after the San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick on him in the 2023 draft, and the Michigan product knocked down 21-of-25 field goals (84.0%) with a long of 57 yards.
Moody has struggled to find that success over the past two seasons, making just 29-of-42 (69%) of his field goals before being released by the 49ers earlier this season. But after signing with Chicago’s practice squad in September, Moody looked like a different kicker, connecting on 4-of-5 field goals and an extra point in the 25-24 win on Monday night.
A game-winner can make any kicker feel like a hero with his new team, and Bears fans are having a moment of “Can we keep him?” after climbing over .500 for the first time this season. But Johnson obviously values reliability over raw power, and that makes sense considering the Bears have only gone for it six times on fourth down (24th in the NFL) this season.
The Bears could likely ride it out until Santos is healthy and stick him back on the practice squad, knowing the risk a team could poach him. But with Moody’s past struggles, it’s not as risky as one might think. That makes the kicking controversy not much of anything when Santos becomes healthy.