An old friend is trying to get back in the kicking game.
WECT.com’s John Smist reports Connor Barth is looking for another opportunity to kick in the NFL. Barth is set to attend a two-day special teams combine in Arizona next month to showcase his skills and put himself back on the radar of NFL teams looking for kickers. And even though Barth didn’t kick for anyone last season, the year off appears to have done him some good.
“I am in the best shape I have ever been in at 32 (years old),” Barth said. “If I am going to do it, now’s the time and I felt like this is the perfect time to get back in. I feel good.”
Hey! I hear the Bears are looking for competition among at the place-kicking position (I kid, I kid…).
Barth kicked for the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Broncos, and Bears from 2008 until 2017 and posted an 82.8 career success rate. Barth was at his best before joining Chicago, connecting on 84.8 percent of his attempts between 2008 and 2015. Unfortunately for the Bears, Barth’s run of good times ended upon arrival to the Windy City.
The Bears signed Barth after cutting Robbie Gould, but he never kicked to the high bar Gould set. He didn’t even kick as well as he did in his stops prior to coming to Chicago. In Denver, Barth made 93.8 percent of his kicks (while playing for Head Coach John Fox and Special Teams Coach Jeff Rodgers), but went just 29-for-39 (74.4%) in 26 games over two seasons with the Bears.
Chicago waived Barth after Week 11 in 2017 after missing (quite badly, might I add) a potential game-tying field goal that came at the end of a last-minute drive engineered by then-rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky. So much for getting an upgrade. Barth said the last two years left a bad taste in his mouth (the feeling is mutual, dude), but he is ready to go all-in for one last shot.
So, good for Barth that he is getting back into the swing of things and is in good shape to do so. He says he has lost 27 pounds and has been hard at work in the gym training for a new lease on life as a kicker.