Chicago Bears: The hidden reason they wanted Cody Parkey

The Chicago Bears knew they needed a new kicker coming into 2018. Connor Barth had proven a disappointment and Robbie Gould was long gone.

GM Ryan Pace wanted somebody young and with a proven track record of success. His target ended up being 26-year old Cody Parkey. A former undrafted free agent of the Philadelphia Eagles, he’d gone to a Pro Bowl as a rookie before injuries hampered his early career. He failed to latch on after one year in Cleveland but then rebounded with an excellent season in Miami, hitting 47 of his 52 total kicks. His mix of accuracy and strong leg strength seemed ideal.

Things didn’t start well though. Parkey struggled with hitting his kicks during the preseason and things seemed to go off the rails when he missed four against Detroit at Soldier Field, all of them off the goal posts. It was later revealed that he didn’t actually practice kicking at the stadium during the week, something the coaches quickly moved to rectify.

Since then the young man has settled down, hitting his past 11 kicks in a row, proving why the Bears spent a considerable amount of money to get him. However, there may have been another overlooked reason Pace wanted him.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1069338493002821632

Cody Parkey is one of the best onside kickers in the NFL

The game in New York showcased it for the first time when Parkey nailed a perfect onside kick attempt, giving the Bears the ball back with just over a minute left, allowing them to tie the game and force overtime. As it turns out, Parkey is arguably the best in the league at this overlooked part of a kicker’s job, having his 5-of-6 total in his career. He explained what has brought him so much success on Thursday.

"“We practice them a lot, and I take pride in that. A lot of luck. A lot of skill. And a lot of just . . . our guys making a good play. And sometimes their team making a bad play. You gotta be able to have touch and control. And sometimes you just need to get a lucky bounce.”"

One thing is for sure. Having a kicker who can do something like that on a consistent basis is extremely rare, and valuable. Onside kicks are one of the few things in the NFL that gives teams a chance to “steal a possession” as Bill Parcells put it. One possession can often make the big difference. For an aggressive, offensive-minded guy like Matt Nagy this is something he no doubt may try to use moving forward.