Cairo Santos: As Solid and Strong as Ever on the Field
When it comes to players under the spotlight in contract years with the Chicago Bears, the conversation typically gravitates towards prominent names like Jaylon Johnson, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool. Trevis Gipson's name might be tossed around as well. But one name that often slips under the radar is Cairo Santos. Despite this, Santos has proven to be one of the most consistent and reliable players on the Bears' roster since joining the team in 2020.
With an astonishing 89.7% success rate, Santos holds the record for the highest field goal accuracy in the franchise's history, outpacing even Robbie Gould, who sits at 85.4%. This past Saturday's preseason game was yet another exhibition of Santos's prowess. He successfully nailed all three of his field goals (from 28, 29, and 49 yards) and both extra-point attempts, setting a positive tone for the upcoming season.
Reflecting on his performance, Santos radiated confidence: «We came out here last week for Family Fest and it was a good presentation for us, again,» he said. «The grass looked right for this time of year. Just getting more reps with the winds and stuff. Kicked well that day and it feels like I'm back at home, so I came in with a lot of confidence.»
What truly stood out on Saturday was Santos's precise ball placement. Anyone who has experienced the infamous winds at Soldier Field knows that a kicker's alignment must be perfect to counteract the wind's influence. It's a challenge that Santos faced last season, missing five point-after attempts, including three in a concerning five-game stretch between Weeks 10 and 15. However, Santos was quick to diagnose the issue as a visual problem and implemented adjustments, ending the season with a flawless 3-3 record on extra points in the final three games.
To ensure the issue doesn't reemerge, Santos has fine-tuned his approach, explaining, «I'm squaring my shoulders towards the target when I aim just to make sure there's a right angle that I take. So it's just making sure that's really tight on every kick.»
One criticism Santos faced before this season was his perceived lack of leg strength compared to other kickers. Since 2020, he has only hit six field goals of 50+ yards with a maximum distance of 51 yards in the past two seasons. However, during Saturday's warmups, Santos successfully connected on both a 57-yard and 58-yard field goal. If counted, they would have marked new career highs.
He attributes his improvement to a refined technique, saying, «I have been working on longer kicks, just striking it clean. The one kick I missed last year was a 56 in Atlanta that I knuckle-balled and hit the crossbar. I felt if I just had a good end-over-end rotation I think I would've had plenty of leg to that kick. So it's just that, on the longer kicks not trying to strike it any different. Not trying to drive it or something, just trusting my leg strength and hit it clean, because that's going to help the ball go more than me muscling it.»
He further added, «This week at practice we had high winds a couple of days. I hit a couple of mid-50s into that wind. The ball stayed on the right line and held true before the wind started touching it. So I think I have gotten stronger, but I think my ball striking has gotten better from deep range too.»
Reliable kickers are a rare commodity in the NFL. If Santos maintains his precision and adds some extra distance to his kicks, he could make a compelling case to be at the front of the line for a new contract when the season concludes. His blend of confidence, technical acumen, and proven track record could see Santos not just maintain his reputation as a solid kicker but grow stronger than ever.
