The Chicago Bears began trimming their roster to 53 players on Saturday, which included one notable name. The Bears released veteran kicker Cairo Santos to bring their roster to 71 players.
The move came as a surprise given the uncertainty surrounding kicker Eddy Pineiro’s status for Week 1. Pineiro has been battling a groin injury, and he wasn’t seen kicking during the two-week window where media were allowed to watch practice.
But according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears could bring Santos back on the roster in the coming days should Pineiro not be good to go against Detroit next Sunday.
The #Bears released veteran kicker Cairo Santos, but he could be back on the roster in the coming days, per source.
As teams make short-term IR moves and other post-cutdown adjustments, roster spots free up. Santos signed recently and has been competing with Eddy Pineiro.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 5, 2020
Bears coach Matt Nagy told reporters during training camp that the plan was to carry two kickers, especially as Pineiro’s status remains up in the air.
“I have a history with Cairo in Kansas City,” Nagy said. “I’ve seen him make a lot of kicks, so there’s a comfort level there. … When Eddy feels like he’s ready to get out there and start kicking again, that’s what we’re going to do. Now if it gets to a point where we feel like he’s not ready, then we feel comfortable with Cairo being our kicker in Week 1 if that’s the case. We’ve just gotta see.”
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