And then there were two:
#Bears roster update:
We have waived kicker Chris Blewitt.— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) June 12, 2019
The Bears announced they have waived place-kicker Chris Blewitt. It’s a move that comes less than 24 hours after Blewitt and the team’s other two kickers went 0-for-3 in Tuesday’s practice. Blewitt’s departure leaves Elliott Fry and Eddy Piñeiro — who also missed the kick — as the only two kickers on the roster at this moment. One could only imagine both are on thin ice after Blewitt was booted from camp after Tuesday’s miss.
This latest development continues to leave open the possibility that Chicago’s Week 1 kicker isn’t even on the roster right now. The Bears could continue to bring in unproven candidates for competition, or could possibly turn to a veteran free agent at some point. Matt Bryant, Phil Dawson, Nick Rose, and Kai Forbath remain among the free agents who have prior kicking experience in the league. As do earlier offseason tryout participants including Caleb Sturgis, Younghoe Koo, and Casey Bednarski, among others.
And to think, ESPN’s projections were digging Blewitt back in April. Further, The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain tweeted “was probably the best of the kicking candidates” he saw kick in the team’s rookie minicamp earlier in the offseason. And yet, Blewitt is out of the picture. It just goes to show how quickly things can change on the never-ending kicking carousel.
The roughest of sore spots for the Bears hasn’t gone away. And while the kicking job vacated by Cody Parkey is there for the taking, the competitors are letting a golden opportunity that has been laid at their feet go without putting up much of a fight. The saga continues.