Bears reportedly bring back former Chiefs K Cairo Santos for kicking competition

Similar to last year, the Chicago Bears could have a kicker competition brewing in training camp.

The incumbent is last year’s competition winner, Eddy Pineiro. The challenger is former Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos, who is expected to rejoin the Bears after a brief stint with the team in 2017, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Santos was once entrenched as a dependable kicker for the Chiefs, making 89 out of 105 field goals and 125 of 130 extra points between 2014 and 2017. His time with the team ended after a nagging groin injury landed him on injured reserve, then ended with him being waived by the team. Harrison Butker has since held the job in Kansas City.

The Bears would later bring in Santos to finish the 2017 season. In two games with the team, he made a 38-yard field goal, missed a 54-yarder and made two extra points.

Since that time with the Bears, Santos has joined four different teams over the 2018 and 2019 seasons. His last tenure with the Tennessee Titans ended in rough fashion, making only 4-of-9 field goals with four misses in one game.