Bears have signed a new kicker

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a crucial kick in Monday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and he may now have to compete with another veteran to keep his job.

The Bears signed Jake Moody to their practice squad on Friday, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

Moody was cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday in the wake of his rough season debut. He went 1/3 on his field goal attempts on Sunday, though he made both of his extra point attempts. Moody missed a 27-yard field goal with a minute left in the second quarter. Then he had a 36-yard field goal attempt blocked in the third quarter.

The 49ers still beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-13, but they decided to replace their 2023 third-round pick with a different veteran kicker.

Santos, a 12-year NFL veteran, has been the Bears’ full-time kicker since 2020. He made 21/25 field goals last season for an 84% conversion rate, which was down from 92.1% in 2023 and 91.3% in 2022. Santos made all three of his extra points in Week 1, but he had missed eight total in the last three years coming into this season.

Santos hooked a 50-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 27-24 loss to the Vikings on Monday night. J.J. McCarthy helped orchestrate a historic comeback after that.

The Bears have a new head coach in Ben Johnson, so there may not be as much loyalty to Santos now as there was under previous regimes. The 33-year-old now has some competition in Chicago.

Moody struggled with the 49ers last year and made just 70.6% of his field goals across 14 games. He was 10/20 from 40 yards or longer.