The Chicago Bears aren’t the only NFL team on obsessive kicker watch.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the New York Jets are working out a gaggle of kickers after free agent Chandler Catanzaro looked rough in his preseason debut. Among the caravan of kickers making their way through the New York metropolitan area is Chris Blewitt, who spent some time with the Bears during the offseason. Another name on Mehta’s radar is Kaare Vedvik, the Ravens kicker who opened eyes with a perfect preseason performance performance on Friday in Baltimore.
HOWEVER, Mehta throws out the caveat that the Jets believe the Bears will ultimately swing a deal with the Ravens and acquire Vedvik in a trade.
There is a slowly growing buzz surrounding the Bears and Vedvik. Because in addition to Mehta’s tweet inferring the Bears’ interest and ESPN’s Jamison Henley’s report hinting that the Bears could target Vedvik, there were reports earlier in the offseason that circled Vedvik as a possible trade target. There is plenty of smoke here, which is fitting because the Bears’ kicking situation has been engulfed in flames for a few years now.
Elliott Fry is off to a good start after passing the Cody Parkey test, while Eddy Piñeiro whiffed on his attempt to impress when he hooked a 48-yard field goal try against the Panthers. But if neither does enough to inspire confidence for the decision-makers at Halas Hall to hand one of them the gig, then the next buzz that will be heard is that of the Ravens phone with the Bears on the other end of the line looking to make a trade.