Chicago Bears first big roster decision after preseason opener names clear and deserving winner in key special teams competition

The Chicago Bears 24-24 tie in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins was still filled with some rewarding moments despite the final score and those four quarters of action already helped the coaching staff finalize one roster battle.

On Tuesday, the Bears announced a slew of roster moves including the addition of four new defensive backs to help add some camp bodies to the room. However, in order to make those signings, the team had to clear out some space on the roster.

One of the players that got moved off the active roster was undrafted rookie kicker Jonathan Kim, who was officially waived by the team.

The former Michigan State standout entered camp in a competition with returning kicker Cairo Santos, who dealt with his fair share of struggles during the 2024 season. Santos, particularly, struggled with deep kicks due to a low kick trajectory, but he's been an exceptionally accurate kicker for the Bears from short-intermediate distances.

By adding Kim, the Bears brought in a kicker who had a much stronger leg to push Santos for the job, although accuracy was still paramount when deciding who would make the final roster.

“I think the #1 thing with kickers is accuracy,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said at the start of camp. “If you got the long leg, it’s great if you’ve got 55+ [yards] and you can hit those. Those are definitely valuable if you have one that can do that, but he’s got to be accurate.”

Sunday's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins gave both kickers the opportunity to see the field, but Santos quickly slammed the door shut on this competition before it even heated up.

Right before halftime, Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III made it out of bounds with one second on the clock, setting up for a 57-yard field goal attempt. Instead of using Kim and his longer leg, the Bears showed confidence in Santos by sending out the veteran.

Santos rewarded the coaches' decision by nailing the field goal with room to spare, which would have set a new career-high for the 12-year pro had it been a regular season game. It was, in my opinion, the best moment of Sunday's game.

“That was pretty strong,” head coach Ben Johnson said of the kick. “I was joking with him that we probably didn’t even need that many yards. We could’ve kicked it from backed up the way he nailed that thing.”

After that kick to go into halftime, Kim got the chance to see the field in the second-half and made two extra points in his NFL debut. Unfortunately for the rookie, Santos showed just what the coaches needed to see to decide which kicker they planned to bring into the 2025 season.