As expected, Cairo Santos was activated from the Bears practice squad Saturday and will kick for them in Sunday's season opener in Detroit.
With incumbent Eddy Piñeiro on injured reserve with a groin injury for at least the first three games of the season, coach Matt Nagy had indicated earlier in the week it was "safe to say" Santos would kick against the Lions.
Seeking a second kicker with experience, the Bears signed Santos Aug. 25. He has converted 80.6 percent of his field-goal attempts (108 of 134) in six NFL seasons with the Chiefs (2014-17), Bears (2017), Rams (2018), Buccaneers (2018) and Titans (2019).
Due to a provision in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was reached in March, the Bears can activate Santos from their practice squad without releasing a player from their active roster.
