Bears Sign Former Pittsburgh Kicker Chris Blewitt

The Bears have been on the lookout for a new kicker after Cody Parkey's double doink in the NFC Wild Card game.

The Chicago Bears signed former Pittsburgh kicker Chris Blewitt after hosting a group tryout for kickers, the team announced on Wednesday.

Blewitt is a free agent and has no previous NFL experience. He spent four seasons playing for Pittsburgh, with his best campaign coming as a freshman when he made 14 of 18 field goals. In his senior season, Blewitt made 10 of 17.

The biggest moment of Blewitt's college career came in his final season in 2016, when he kicked a game-winning 43-yard field goal to lift Pittsburgh to a 43–42 victory over No. 2 Clemson. Blewitt's kick handed the Tigers their only loss of the season before they went on to claim the national title.

The Pittsburgh Steelers invited Blewitt to a rookie minicamp in 2017 on a tryout basis but had been looking for an NFL job since.

The Bears already have two kickers on their roster—Cody Parkey and recently signed Redford Jones. Chicago signed Jones, a product out of Tulsa, in January after hosting a workout for a handful of kickers.

The team reportedly plans to release Parkey after he ended the Bears' 2018 season by double doinking a 43-yard field goal with just 10 seconds left in the NFC Wild Card round. The Pro Bowler hit both the upright and crossbar on his unsuccessful potential game-winner, allowing the Eagles to escape with a 16–15 win.