Bears head coach Matt Nagy wasn’t willing to confirm that Eddy Pineiro would be the team’s kicker on opening night when he spoke to reporters on Friday, but he did say it would be “a major concern if you go get somebody to come in here that has never kicked in here.”
The Bears didn’t claim a kicker after Saturday’s cuts and Nagy went the final mile when it came to committing to Pineiro on Sunday.
“He deserves it. He earned every right to be our kicker,” Nagy said.
Pineiro was acquired in a May trade with the Raiders for a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick. He was 8-of-9 on field goals and 3-of-4 on extra points during the preseason, but spent last season on injured reserve and has never kicked in a regular season game.
He’ll get a chance to change that against the Packers on Thursday night.