The Chicago Bears may have finally found a solution to their kicking woes in the form of Eddy Pineiro.
The former Florida Gator is close to getting a contract after an impressive outing against the Indianapolis Colts. He was 2-for-2 on field goals Saturday night, one of which was an impressive 58-yard field goal. He also coolly converted his three extra-point attempts.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is becoming more comfortable with the idea of having the 23-year-old play as his starting kicker after cutting Elliott Fry last week.
Nagy had nothing but praise for the kicker when he spoke the team's official website:
“When we went out to practice, I think you could see a little more confidence in him knowing that he’s going to get every rep,” Nagy said. “There’s no question when [he] is kicking in the game, in practice, etc. It kind of goes back to the days in training camp when we were giving those kickers a full day; they knew they weren’t alternating, so I think it certainly helps.”
Some may be surprised with Pineiro's sudden appearance in the Bears roster. But anyone who has followed his career that he can more than pull off the 58-yarder on a regular basis.
His athletic career started with soccer, but he found success in football and struck gold after a successful tryout with Florida. He spent two years as a Gator where he had the best field goal percentage at 94.4%.
He then declared for the 2018 NFL Draft where he went undrafted. He was then picked up by the Oakland Raiders but was placed on the injured reserve.
In a year where Cinderella stories are sweeping the nation, Pineiro is quietly making his own. There's no question that he has the tools and potential to have a long and successful NFL career.
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