The Chicago Bears have a bit of drama in the third phase this offseason, but hopefully, they get it sorted, and the three specialists have smooth sailing all year long.
Roster Locks
There’s no question that a kicker who can boom field goals from 60+ is a weapon, and these days, there are more than ever who have a leg big enough to do so.
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Cairo Santos is not that guy.
And that’s okay. He’s still a lock for the 53-man roster.
So his range, on a good day, tops out about 55 yards, and at times, the Bears won’t even trot him out there to try those. But I’d much rather see the offense try to convert a 4th-and-2 from around midfield than attempt a long field goal.
Besides, Santos has been clutch during his career as a Bear, hitting several tying or go-ahead kicks, and he received three game balls in 2025 for his outstanding performance.
The narrative around kicking in Soldier Field has been more prevalent of late, and Santos’ experience in the Windy City matters. This year will be his seventh consecutive in Chicago, and he practices field goals at Soldier Field, so he understands the gusts like a visiting kicker can’t. He’s the most accurate field goal kicker in franchise history, he has the most 50+ field goals in franchise history, and he holds the record for the longest postseason field goal in team history (51 yards) that he set in subfreezing conditions.
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Tory Taylor arrived with a lot of excitement (for a punter), but thus far, he’s been fine. He did have that Special Teams Player of the Week award as a rookie, but other than that, his punting prowess at Iowa hasn’t shown up as a pro. Last year, he was 13th in yards per punt, and in the categories that require some help from the coverage units, he was 25th in net yards per punt, 6th in touchbacks, and 21st in hitting punts inside the twenty. Taylor does need to do a better job at his directional kicking and his dead-ball punts, but hopefully his use continues to decline as Chicago’s offense continues to improve.
A Good Bet To Make It
Keep scrolling, we have an honest-to-goodness ‘two-man enter, one-man leave’ battle at long snapper coming up in training camp!
Roster Bubble/Practice Squad
Bill Zimmerman already broke down the long snapper battle between Luke Elkin and Beau Gardner here, so you can check that out for more detail on these two combatants.
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And if you think the long snapper battle is the most boring on an NFL roster, then you must not understand the cult-like status long snappers have had around Chicago since the Patrick Mannelly era. Jacob’s tweet below has over a million views!
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