Eddy Pineiro was the last man standing in last year’s extended kicking competition in Chicago and the lack of in-person work during this year’s offseason program means he hasn’t had to take part in any this year.
So far, anyway. The Bears signed Ramiz Ahmed and General Manager Ryan Pace said that the plan is for the two kickers to compete for the job in camp this summer.
Pineiro’s preparation for that matchup has included kicking at the windiest field he could find in Miami and adding eight pounds of muscle to his frame. He said Tuesday that he doesn’t know if head coach Matt Nagy will use last year’s methods to conduct this year’s competition.
“If that does happen, I think I’ll be ready for it,” Pineiro said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Because we did a lot of that last year, we probably will do a lot of that this year too. . . . I haven’t gotten to know [Ahmed]. We’ve done a couple of Zoom meetings together. But as far as them signing him, I obviously expected it. Everybody has to compete. That’s just part of that.”
Pineiro had some ups and downs last year, but finished the year 23-of-28 on field goals and 27-of-29 extra points. Ahmed did not kick for any team last season.