The Chicago Bears swiftly replaced their Pro Bowl kicker.
The Bears signed Connor Barth on Monday, the team announced Monday. The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs first reported the expected signing.
The Bears announced cutting Robbie Gould on Sunday night. Gould leaves as the franchise's all-time leading scorer (this is a team that's been around since 1920, remember) with 1,207 points and as the most accurate kick in the Bears history (85.4 percent).
Gould, however, began to show kinks in his armor last season, missing six field goals. Fans in Chicago began to take aim at the here-to-fore reliable kicker the past two years. Gould's struggles continued this preseason, missing a field goal and two extra points. Rather than pay a kicker a top-five average salary at his position ($3.75 million), the Bears decided to move on -- even though they had plenty of cap space.
Enter Barth. The 30-year-old kicker spent the preseason with the New Orleans Saints before being cut. Barth appeared in 12 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, connecting on 23 of 28 field goals with one missed extra point. While he doesn't boast the strongest leg, Barth's best trait is his mid-range accuracy: 63-for-64 inside 40 yards since 2010.
Bears coach John Fox is familiar with Barth. The kicker played five games in Denver in 2014.
