From the Athletic (Dan Durkin):
Durkin’s Den
When you have a defense playing as well as the Bears' and an offense that is struggling to score points, they can’t continue rostering an unreliable kicker like Connor Barth.
Barth shanked a 48-yard attempt against the Saints that could’ve made it a one-possession game heading into the half with the Bears set to receive the ball in the second half. The miss not only took points off the board, but it changed the way the team had to play down the stretch.
When Tarik Cohen leapt over the line for the first rushing touchdown of his career, the score was 17-12, forcing the Bears to go for two-points, which they didn’t convert. Three possessions later, the Saints kicked a field goal of their own to make it 20-12.
The Bears were once again in a two-point conversion situation just to tie the game and force overtime, rather than win it outright with a touchdown and an extra-point conversion – something Barth has done well, converting all but one since arriving in Chicago.
Barth’s field goal percentage has been on the decline for four straight seasons. It currently sits at 63.6 percent (7-for-11), the lowest of his career and the third-worst in the league.
From 40-49 yards, he’s converting just 40 percent of his kicks, tied with Aldrick Rosas (Giants) for the worst percentage in the league.
He’s only converted three kicks of 40-plus yards (out of seven attempts), which is tied with Nick Folk for the lowest percentage in the league.
Last season, Barth finished the season as the league’s sixth-worst field goal kicker, with a success rate of 78.3 percent (18-for-23) and his four successful kicks from 40-plus yards were the second-fewest in the league. He gets no lift on his kicks, his accuracy is wayward and his leg strength leaves a lot to be desired.
Using Pro Football Focus (PFF) kickoff data, Barth’s average kickoff distance this season is 67.6 yards, which ranks 21st in the league out of 34 players who have at least 10 kickoffs. It should be noted, that number is an improvement from last year’s average of 64, which ranked 31st out of 34 players.
This season, only 15 of his 28 kickoffs have been touchbacks and the average starting field position for opponents is the 26.5-yard line, which is the fourth-worst in the league. Thus, he’s consistently giving offenses a shorter field to work with.
Add it all up and I’m struggling to understand what the appeal is with Barth.
Last September, general manager Ryan Pace made the decision to part ways with veteran kicker Robbie Gould, whose performance wasn’t commensurate with his paycheck. But Barth was hardly an upgrade.
Since being released by the Bears, Gould has missed just two kicks over the past two seasons, going a combined 27-for-29 for the Giants and currently the 49ers. But this isn’t a referendum on the decision to part ways with Gould. It’s a pattern with Pace of removing players and not replacing them with comparable talent.
When you look around the league, the top kickers statistically could all be in Bears uniforms. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn was an undrafted rookie last season out of UCLA. He’s a perfect 11-for-11 this season with a long of 50. Minnesota’s Kai Forbath was signed in-season last year and is 21-for-22 this season with nine conversions from 40-plus yards. Kansas City’s Harrison Butker was signed from the Panthers’ practice squad this year. He’s 13-for-14 with six conversions from 40-plus yards.
The options were there for Pace to improve the position. Yet his only moves to “challenge” Barth were signing undrafted rookie Andy Phillips, then the curious move of claiming Roberto Aguayo, Tampa Bay’s failed second-round pick from 2016. Not only was the move curious from a performance standpoint, the Bears assumed $428,000 of guaranteed money for a player whom they ended up cutting.
Back on Oct. 4, the Bears brought in Aguayo for a tryout along with Josh Lambo, who has since signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a bye week at their disposal, Pace should find Barth’s replacement.
Perhaps Cairo Santos, whom the Chiefs waived on Sept. 30 due to a groin injury, is now healthy enough to kick again. He recently posted a video on his Twitter account indicating that he’s feeling better.
It’s clear from what’s happening around the league that kicker is one of the few positions from which street free agents can make a difference. The Bears have no margin for error. Barth has already missed four field goals this year and is giving up field position on kickoffs. He’s a liability on a team lacking weapons.
Peace
