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5 best training camp battles for Bears in 2019

By Kevin Parvizi

LAKE FOREST, IL - MAY 05: Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery (32) warms up during the Chicago Bears Rookie Mini-Camp on May 5, 2019 at Halas Hall, in Lake Forest, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAKE FOREST, IL - MAY 05: Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery (32) warms up during the Chicago Bears Rookie Mini-Camp on May 5, 2019 at Halas Hall, in Lake Forest, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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GAINESVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 30: Florida Gators kicker Eddy Pineiro (15) watches a field goal during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Florida Gators on September 30, 2017 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 30: Florida Gators kicker Eddy Pineiro (15) watches a field goal during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Florida Gators on September 30, 2017 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Kicker: Elliott Fry vs. Eddy Pineiro

As important as a feature back position battle, a glut of wide receiver competition, a nickel corner showdown, and a fight between two talented defensive ends are, the position battle that could have the most ramifications for the Bears 2019 season is at kicker. Because while the Bears can still benefit from Cordarrelle Patterson, Mike Davis, or David Shelley even if they don’t start, they can only have one kicker. More importantly, they need that kicker to not stink.

Cody Parkey’s blocked field goal spelled doom for a Bears team that was on par with any team in the NFC, even the future NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. Parkey had the sixth-lowest field goal percentage in the NFL last season, and no kicker with at least 30 attempts was less accurate. So in all honesty, the Bears should have seen an unfortunate field goal kick in the postseason coming.

What makes the Bears kicker battle especially intriguing is the fact that there’s so little intel on the competitors, since this is an “open competition”. Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro look like the front-runners, though, given that they are the only players listed on the depth chart.

As of right now, Fry doesn’t even have a rating in Madden, let alone any available collegiate stats from South Carolina to glean. Pineiro was acquired from the Oakland Raiders this offseason in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2021, but the 23-year-old Florida Gator alumn has no NFL stats. He did have a 94.4% field goal percentage to lead the country in his final collegiate season, so it would seem that Pineiro is the favorite.

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Bears fans will hold their breath and see who stands out in training camp and the preseason, though there’s no way of knowing if the team’s 2019 kicker is even on the roster. Since the Bears spent draft capital – however small it was – on Pineiro, perhaps his college success at Florida will weigh that much more. Consider this competition one that is likely to continue well into the regular season, where one bad day could spell doom even for August’s winner.

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