Bears sign kicker Chris Blewitt

SHARE Bears sign kicker Chris Blewitt
screen_shot_2019_03_06_at_4.59.36_pm_e1551913418789.png

The Bears plan to sign kicker Chris Blewitt. | AP photo

Cody blew it. Hence, Chris Blewitt.

The Bears signed Blewitt, the former Pitt kicker who has yet to find traction in the NFL, on Wednesday evening. He’ll become the second kicker, alongside another unproven choice, Redford Jones, to fight for Cody Parkey’s old job. The Bears plan to cut Parkey next week at the start of the league year.

Blewitt starred for the Pitt Panthers from 2013-16. When he left the school, he was its all-time leader with 363 points scored by a kicker, as well as 55 field goals and 198 PATs. He kicked two game-winning field goals his senior season — to beat No. 2 Clemson by one point and Georgia Tech by three.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace has said he wanted to breed competition at the position after Parkey missed 11 kicks — eight field goals and three extra points — in his only season with the team. The two kickers he’s signed this offseason represent outside-the-box choices: both are more than a year removed from college and have never even kicked in an NFL preseason game. They’ve both been working with private coaches since graduation.

Speaking last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, Pace wouldn’t rule out drafting a kicker or signing a veteran once free agency begins next week. He said he’d be open to a three-man competition, which seems likely, given the inexperience of both Blewitt and Jones.

Blewitt won special teams guru Jamie Kohl’s field goal contest in Phoenix last month. He participated in the Steelers’ rookie minicamp in 2017.


The Latest
With Easter around the corner, chocolate makers and food businesses are feeling the impact of soaring global cocoa prices and it’s also hitting consumers.
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.