Bringing in Barth not an easy decision, Bears coach Fox says

Replacing the franchise leader in field goals, FG accuracy and points with another team's castoff might not make sense at first glance.

The Bears believe ditching Robbie Gould for Connor Barth makes them a better team, but it's still a tough situation.

"At the end of the day, we found an option that we were comfortable with," coach John Fox said, "and everything we do is based on performance and what we feel like gets us better. But they're not easy decisions. These last few days have been super hard. It's probably the lousiest part of our jobs."

Gould is the ninth-most-accurate FG kicker in NFL history (85.4 percent) and ranks third all-time from 50 yards and farther (74.2 percent). Barth's career success rate is 84.8 percent, but he's practically automatic from inside 40 yards. He's hit 95.2 from less than 40 in his seven-year career, including 98.6 (73 of 74) in the previous five seasons.

"He's extremely accurate," Bears coach John Fox said of the 30-year-old Barth, who hit 15-of-16 FG attempts for him in Denver in 2014. "We brought him in in a similar situation. The key is, when you get those opportunities, you've got to get those points."

Gould did not have any competition during training camp, which GM Ryan Pace said was because potential replacements were already on other teams' rosters. "We signed Connor Barth about five minutes ago," Pace said at a late-morning news conference Monday. "For us, it was, if a specific player comes available, then that's something we need to entertain and discuss. That's how it played out, and it made the switch a possibility."

Barth lost his battle with Kai Forbath in New Orleans and was waived in Saturday's final cut-down. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and from 2009-12, with the Broncos in 2014 and the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie in 2008.

"I think it was one of the better camps I've had since I've been in the league," Barth said of his time with the Saints. "(Forbath) had a tremendous preseason, and so did I."

Now Barth succeeds Gould, who was a Bears fixture for 11 years.

"Robbie's a good friend of mine," Barth said. "As kickers around the league, we're a close-knit fraternity, and he's been outstanding here for his whole career. He's the best. He's the man.

"He's a guy that I looked up to. He's a tremendous kicker. To be able to do what he's done in these conditions for so long is just amazing. I'm just trying to come in and be me and hopefully help this team win."

Other team news:

Long-snapper Patrick Scales, who was trimmed in the final roster cuts in favor of Aaron Brewer, was re-signed Monday, and Brewer was waived.

Center Cornelius Edison and cornerback Demontre Hurst were added to the practice squad. Both players were waived over the weekend.

Cornerback Tracy Porter (concussion) practiced Monday, but teams aren't required to issue an injury report until Wednesday. Porter said he would play Sunday.

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.