Caleb Williams assures new Bears punter Tory Taylor won’t need to be used much
The Chicago Bears had five picks during the 2024 NFL Draft, headlined by elite quarterback prospect Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze. Though one of their five selections was punter Tory Taylor, a fourth-round selection.
Taylor won the Ray Guy award for the nation’s best punter and was a first-team All-American in 2023. He recorded an NCAA single-season punting record in total yards punted (4,479), previously held by Michigan State’s Johnny Pingel, set in 1938. Taylor led the nation in average yards punted (48.2), which ranks just outside the top-15 all-time for a single season.
Though Williams assured that Taylor won’t be needed very often.
“Caleb [Williams] just texted me before saying ‘hey you’re not going to punt too much here,’ which is great,” Taylor said on Saturday, according to ESPN Bears beat writer Courtney Cronin. “That was pretty funny.”
Despite making the Big Ten title game, Iowa had one of the worst offenses in the entire country, leading Taylor to punt 93 times, 13 more than any other player (Navy’s Riley Riethman — 80). He finished behind Riethman (6.7) in punts per game (6.6) last season, averaging six for his career.
“Certainly the NFL is going to be a lot different than Iowa,” Taylor said. “I punted, what was it, 90-something times, nearly 300 times in my career almost. I know it’s not going to be like that in the NFL but as long as I’m punting balls, I don’t really care what happens.”
Williams is expected to immediately elevate a Bears offense that finished No. 22 in yards per play (5.0), No. 21 in EPA/play, No. 19 in success rate and No. 18 in points per game (21.2). The Bears added D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett, in addition to D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet. The NFC North, in general, is expected to be loaded next season with Detroit (reigning winner), Green Bay and Minnesota all improving their deficiencies this offseason.
The obvious best-case scenario is for Taylor not to be on the field much, but if you’re going to spend a fourth-round pick on a special teams player–which is always a risky move–you may as well use it on a record-breaking punter.
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