New Bears punter Tory Taylor is 'a weapon for the whole football team'

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The Bears didn’t select just any punter in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. They added by far the best punter in college football and someone who could be one of the top punters in the NFL next season.

That's Tory Taylor, an Iowa product who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter last season. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt in 2023 and pinned 43.1% of his career punts in college inside the 20-yard line. Last season, Bears punter Trenton Gill averaged 46.1 yards per punt and had 26.9% of his punts finish inside the 20. Gill and fellow Bears punter Corliss Waitman are likely to be released to make room for Taylor.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Taylor was projected to be a fourth-round pick and expected to hear his name called then. For their part, the Bears were thrilled that they were the team to land him.

“One of the best punters I’ve ever seen,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “Just in terms of his placement as well as his leg strength to be able to flip the field.”

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus agreed.

“Tory is a weapon for the whole football team,” Eberflus said.

Shortly after Taylor was selected by the Bears, he received a text message from new Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Williams informed Taylor that he won't be punting much, indicating he plans to consistently lead the Bears’ offense down the field. But when the Bears do find themselves sending the punt team out, Taylor has them covered.

“It's all about just doing what I'm good at,” Taylor said. “That's what the Bears are going to get. Someone who can kick for distance and hangtime but can also pin them deep and place it where he wants. So that's what I'm really excited about."

Taylor only began playing American football in 2019 and didn't play in high school. But he found that his leg talent in Australian rules football transferred well to the American game. In fact, Taylor revealed he can kick well with both legs.

When the Bears went on the clock in the fourth round, there was a belief that they could beef up their defensive line with a pass rusher or defensive tackle. They also have a need to fill at safety or could’ve added depth to their offense.

Instead, they focused on special teams. Drafting a punter certainly wasn’t the expectation in that spot, but Taylor isn’t an ordinary punter. Joining the Bears is his next step along quite the path he has enjoyed in American football.

“I’ve had one pretty crazy journey,” Taylor said. “But it just really shows if you just put in the hard work, usually good things prevail.”

 Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .