After being one of four teams with a bye in Week 5, the Chicago Bears were back on the practice field on Tuesday to prepare for this week’s clash against the Washington Commanders.
The 2-2 Bears are looking to kick off October with a win against a Commanders team, who sent them into a tailspin last season, thanks to a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown pass.
Since it’s still early in the week, we won’t have official injury reports until Thursday. However, a few notable players were not spotted at practice, including veteran kicker Cairo Santos, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
This wasn’t the news Bears fans expected to hear as Santos was healthy and played well in the team’s final game before the bye. Santos was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points in Chicago’s one-point win over the Raiders.
Cairo Santos Among Multiple Players Not Seen at Tuesday’s Practice
It’s hard to speculate why the veteran kicker was not seen at practice without an injury report, but Bears fans have to hope he’s not injured.
This season, the 33-year-old Santos has converted 85.7 percent of field goal attempts (6-of-7) and is a perfect 11-for-11 on extra points. He hasn’t received many opportunities, as Chicago’s offense is ranked in the middle of the pack in red zone percentage (62.7).
It also doesn’t help that the Bears are ranked 30th in red zone attempts (11), which just further illustrates their struggles on offense. That said, Santos has proven to be a reliable kicker over his seven years in the Windy City, making 89.2 percent of his field goals and 94.1 percent of his extra points.
If, and it’s a huge if, the Bears do not have Santos because of injury, they do have an in-house option in recent third-round pick Jake Moody. Chicago signed Moody to its practice squad on Sept. 12 after he was cut by the San Francisco 49ers following Week 1.
The 25-year-old Moody has a big leg, but has struggled with accuracy and consistency over his three-year career. In Week 1 this season, he was 1-of-3 on field goals made. He missed a field goal from 27 yards that hit the left upright and had a 36-yard field goal blocked.
If Moody has to play, Bears fans won’t be super confident in the young kicker, as they would rather have Santos on the field. That said, we’re playing the hypothetical game right now at that position. We should hopefully find out more about Santos over the next few days.
