The Chicago Bears were a disaster in their Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Part of their disaster was at long snapper, where undrafted rookie Beau Gardner had a bad snap on both of Chicago’s field goal attempts, the second of which was blocked with the game on the line.
That is why the Bears have opted to make a change as they go into their Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Chicago has brought back Scott Daly, who was their long snapper last season, and waived Gardner before re-signing him to the practice squad. Head coach Ben Johnson addressed the reason for bringing back Daly.
“Scott’s a dependable, reliable piece,” Johnson said. “He loved being here. When you have a young long snapper, there sometimes are some growing pains,
and we’re experiencing those. We just felt like it was the right thing to do for our team at that time.”
Special teams are often the overlooked third phase of a football team but can play a crucial part in winning or losing games. The Bears learned that lesson the hard way back in 2018 against the Eagles. But Ben Johnson has always made sure to pay attention to the minute details in all three phases. It is part of what has made him a successful head coach in his tenure so far.
After the Bears let Daly walk in the offseason, he briefly spent time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released during the finalization of the initial 53-man roster. The Green Bay Packers also briefly had him on their practice squad before cutting him. He was also elevated to the New Orleans Saints’ active roster and played in their Week 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson explains why the Bears brought back LS Scott Daly
