Tag: 2020 season

Matt Nagy confident about K Eddy Pineiro heading into 2020

Bears K Eddy Pineiro has had his ups and downs this season, but the Bears seem intent on sticking with him heading into 2020.

There were plenty of reasons why the Chicago Bears lost to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. But kicker Eddy Pineiro wasn’t one of them. Not that the same could be said several other times this season.

Pineiro has had his ups and downs this season — including booting a 53-yard game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos and missing what would’ve been a game-winning 41-yard field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers.

While it doesn’t change much in the grand scheme of things, Pineiro’s 46-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Chiefs was his first 40-plus successful kick since he missed two against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11.

Since then, Pineiro has been near-perfect on his kicks, connecting on seven consecutive field goals and 10 for 11 on extra points.

“I was really happy that he made that,” coach Matt Nagy said of Pineiro’s kick against the Chiefs. “I think we’re in a good place with him right now. I think if there’s one storyline that we take out of this [it’s that] kickers are going to have some tough times, not only kicking at Soldier Field, but just the kicking world in general.”

Pineiro had a great start to his rookie season, where he connected on 9-of-10 field goals. But as the weather started to turn in Chicago, Pineiro found himself facing his first real adversity of the season.

Following a rough stretch, where he had some costly misses, Pineiro has found his footing, and Nagy feels confident about him heading into 2020. Pineiro has connected on 19 of 24 field goals this season, which ranks 26th in the NFL at 79.2%.

“I like what he has done all year long,” Nagy said. “Moving forward here, going into [2020], I think we know who he is and what we have.”

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Bears CB Kevin Toliver auditioning for starting role in 2020

With Bears CB Prince Amukamara’s future in question, second-year CB Kevin Toliver is playing for chance at a starting job in 2020.

With the Chicago Bears eliminated from playoff contention, these final two games will serve as a stepping stone for the 2020 season. This means some meaningful playing time for some of the younger players that are perhaps playing for some starting jobs next season.

One of those players is second-year cornerback Kevin Toliver, who has relieved an injured Prince Amukamara, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered against the Detroit Lions in Week 13.

With Amukamara questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs — and his future with Chicago also questionable, considering he’d be a $10 million cap hit next season and only cost $1 million in dead money — Toliver recognizes the opportunity in front of him in these final two games.

‘‘I feel like every day is an audition,’’ Toliver said. ‘‘It’s a day-to-day business, so you’ve got to come to work every day with the same mindset — the dog mindset. That’s all I come in here with, just to get 2 percent better every day.’’

Toliver has seen that progress from himself this season. After getting his second career start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Toliver split snaps with Amukamara last week against the Green Bay Packers. Toliver played 31 snaps compared to Amukamara’s 28. The on-field experience has definitely helped the former LSU product.

‘‘I just have more confidence on the field now,’’ Toliver said. ‘‘Last year I was a little timid. I wasn’t sure if they were going to do that or the other team was going to do this. The game’s starting to slow down for me. I can see the whole field now. I just feel way more comfortable out there.’’

Bears coach Matt Nagy sees the benefit of Toliver getting additional reps, but he prefers to worry about next season, well, next season.

‘‘It’s good for both [players],’’ Nagy said. ‘‘For a guy like Kevin Toliver, getting some reps is good for him. It’s a great opportunity for him. So we’ll just balance that with where Prince is at, where Kevin’s at and then just see where it’s at for all of us.’’

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WATCH: Lions will keep Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn after bad season

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

First, news came out that team owner Martha Firestone Ford will keep both head coach Matt Patricia and General Manager Bob Quinn for the 2020 season.

Second, quarterback Matt Stafford’s season is officially done as the team announced that it has placed the 31-year-old on Injured Reserve.

Stafford hasn’t played since November 3rd, so the move isn’t exactly a shock. He has been with the franchise his entire career, now in his 11th season, but despite playing through a back injury for a while, the injury sidelined him last month and now has ended his season.

That’s bad news for this year as the Lions are winless without Stafford at QB. In eight games this season, Stafford looked pretty good. He threw for 2,499 yards and 19 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

While Stafford on IR is bad news for the remainder of this season, the management decision impacts all of next season.

Firestone Ford’s daughter, Sheila Ford Hamp, talked with a small group of reporters Tuesday and according to the Detroit Free Press, admitted that a coaching change, “would have been the popular choice, the popular decision and we knew that,” but said that the decision to keep Patricia for a third season is “what is right for the organization.”

The expectation from ownership is that in keeping Quinn and Patricia, the Lions will be a playoff team in 2020.

The Lions have lost seven games in a row, beginning with the last game Stafford played in.

The team visits the Broncos Sunday.

Lions announce a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking (Lionswire)

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

Lions announce a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

The Lions announced a couple of decisions that have Detroit fans talking Tuesday.

Rashaad Penny’s timeline for return uncertain after ACL surgery

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny will undergo ACL surgery and might not be available at the start of the 2020 season.

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Initial testing revealed a “significant” ACL sprain, however, the MRI results confirmed the worst – Penny has an ACL tear, at the least.

“There’s some other stuff that they’ll look at when they get in there,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters Wednesday. “They are going to do surgery. He will have surgery. He’s not going in immediately. They’re going to let it quiet down before they do that. It’s a long haul before we get him back. We’re going to take all the right precautions to make sure we start the process at the right time.

“They got to get in there and find out what’s going on, but it’s an ACL damage mainly that they’re concerned with.”

Carroll was asked whether or not Penny could be unavailable at the start of next season.

“No, I would never say that right now,” Carroll said. “I don’t know how many months we got. It’s going to take him a while.”

With Penny out, Seattle will rely on C.J. Prosise and Travis Homer to assist starter Chris Carson in the run game. The Seahawks will square off against the Panthers in their final road game of the season this Sunday.

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Bears tight on cap space as NFL projects salary cap increase as high as $201.2M in 2020

The 2020 NFL salary cap is projected to be between $196.8 and $201.2 million, leaving the Bears just over the salary cap for 2020 right now.

NFL teams are going to have a lot more money to play with this offseason as the 2020 NFL salary cap is projected to be between $196.8 and $201.2 million.

The salary cap is expected to increase by more than $8 million from the current cap of $188.2 million, but it’s still going to be challenging for Bears general manager Ryan Pace heading into a busy offseason.

The Bears have roughly $202 million committed to the salary cap in 2020, according to Over the Cap. Depending on where the NFL and NFLPA agree to set next year’s salary cap, the Bears need to clear between $1.8 and $6.2 million just to get under the projected salary cap.

It won’t be easy for Pace, but he’s managed to get creative in creating cap space. His offseason priorities are locking up some players in-house, including safety Eddie Jackson, receiver Allen Robinson and linebacker Kwiatkoski, who is an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Among the Bears’ in-house free agents in 2020 are linebacker Danny Trevathan, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, defensive back/special teams ace Sherrick McManis, defensive tackle Nick Williams, linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis and quarterback Chase Daniel.

Pace could manage extra cap space by releasing players like right guard Kyle Long, cornerback Prince Amukamara and receiver Taylor Gabriel, who combined would give the Bears an extra $20.6 million in cap space, among others.

Chicago has a lot of needs to address this offseason — be it in free agency or the NFL Draft — including tight end, offensive line, edge rusher and backup quarterback.

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Matt Nagy’s job appears to be safe heading into 2020

Despite a disappointing 2019 season, Bears coach Matt Nagy’s job is safe heading into 2020.

When it comes to expectations for the 2019 NFL season, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy will be the first to tell you the team isn’t where he thought they would be with just four games to go in the season.

After bursting onto the scene as a rookie head coach and leading the Bears to a 12-4 record and an NFC North division title, the second-year head coach and his team had high hopes going into 2019. Instead of a repeat division title, however, the Bears are now clinging to a 5% chance of making the playoffs via a wildcard spot at 6-6.

The season hasn’t gone according to plan, but despite the struggles, Nagy isn’t expected to be let go during the offseason. According to a recent ESPN article rating the job security of all 32 head coaches, from 4 (on the hot seat) to 1 (on the cold seat), Nagy checks in at a mild 2, “on a cool seat…barring a disaster.”

ESPN Chicago Bears Reporter Jeff Dickerson, who rated Nagy, had this to say following the score:

Nagy doesn’t have the same job security he enjoyed last season when he was the NFL Coach of the Year, but it’s a stretch to think the Bears will fire him. The team has struggled across the board on offense — Nagy’s specialty — and the coach has shouldered his share of the blame. Still, the Bears are 18-10 in the regular season under Nagy. For comparison sake, John Fox went 13-34 in Chicago. Nagy isn’t going anywhere.

Dickerson’s reasoning stems from the long leash former coach John Fox had in his three seasons as head coach despite his dreadful record. Nagy isn’t anywhere close to that and nearly matched Fox’s total wins in just his first season. While 2019 can already be classified as a disappointment, it would be a major upset if team ownership shook things up again just one season removed from a playoff berth.

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Bears organization has ‘serious confidence’ in QB Mitchell Trubisky

While Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky has faced a ton of scrutiny this season, the Bears organization still believes in their young QB.

For those Bears fans hoping that 2019 would be the last they’d see of beleaguered quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago, you might want to sit down.

While Trubisky has garnered plenty of scrutiny for his erratic play this season, the Bears organization has “serious confidence” in their young quarterback moving forward, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

While Trubisky deserves his share of the blame for the offense’s struggles, he’s far from the only person struggling on offense, which the Bears organization understands. Whether it’s the offensive line in pass protection or run blocking or the receivers — and now tight ends — who continue to drop passes or play-calling on Matt Nagy’s part, it’s been a collective disappointing effort by the Bears.

It would be easy if Trubisky were the only problem on offense. That would mean that it would’ve been a quick fix awhile ago. But everything around Trubisky isn’t working, which has led to a disappointing output where the Bears offense ranks 30th in the league.

Trubisky was always going to be on the roster next season as he’s heading into the fourth year on a rookie deal that’s fully guaranteed. But how the Bears choose to address the quarterback position in the offseason will be intriguing to say the least.

Will they bring in a veteran to compete for the job? Will they turn to the NFL Draft for another project? Or will they — hopefully not — choose to stick it out with just Trubisky and Chase Daniel in 2020?

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