Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro placed on IR, Cairo Santos will start vs. Lions

Eddy Pineiro was placed on IR with a groin injury, and Cairo Santos will be Chicago’s kicker for the first three weeks of the season.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chicago Bears have a kicker problem. Only this wasn’t production-related. Chicago, we’ve got an injury problem.

The Bears officially placed kicker Eddy Pineiro on injured reserve Monday. The move doesn’t come as a surprise given Pineiro hasn’t practiced during camp after sustaining a groin injury.

Chicago brought in former Kansas City Chiefs and Bears kicker Cairo Santos as insurance in case Pineiro wasn’t able to go. Now, Santos, who was on the practice squad, has been elevated to the active roster and will get the start against the Detroit Lions in Week 1.

Under the new rules for the 2020 season, Pineiro will be eligible to return in Week 4. Which means Santos will be Chicago’s kicker for the first three games against the Lions, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons.

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