Caleb Williams, fellow teammates praise Tory Taylor after he received a league-wide honor for his Week 4 performance
When the Chicago Bears drafted a punter in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, everyone was skeptical, even their first overall pick Caleb Williams.As soon as the selection was made to draft Iowa punter Tory Taylor, Williams jokingly reached out and told Taylor that he won't be punting very often.Through four weeks, Taylor […]
When the Chicago Bears drafted a punter in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, everyone was skeptical, even their first overall pick Caleb Williams.
As soon as the selection was made to draft Iowa punter Tory Taylor, Williams jokingly reached out and told Taylor that he won't be punting very often.
Through four weeks, Taylor hasn't just been punting often, he's been punting exceptionally well for the Bears.
Against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, Taylor put Williams and the Bears offense on his back when they struggled to move the ball by helping flip the field, allowing the team's defense to create stop after stop.
In the team's much-needed win, Taylor averaged 55.4 yards per punt and had three punts land inside the Rams' 10-yard line. Every time he came on the field, he looked like a legitimate weapon that fired up the Chicago sideline.
Taylor's best punt came late in the fourth quarter after pinning a ball deep on the Rams' 8-yard line with 6:33 left in the game. The punt travelled 66-yards, the 12th longest punt of the year.
"I haven't been that pumped up for a punt in a long time," Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said after the win. "He's definitely special, man. So, definitely giving us some punt-and-pins, giving them bad field position, giving us some good field position for us to be able to pin our ears back and go hunt."
Taylor's performance in Week 4 earned him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors and he's already proving everyone in Chicago right for taking a gamble on him.
In his first four NFL games, Taylor has now pinned nine punts inside the 20-yard line, which is tied for the fifth-most in the entire league. His 958 punt yardage also has him inside the Top-5 among all punters in the league.
"He's unbelievable," Williams said on Wednesday. "That night we drafted him, that's the first time I've ever looked at a punter highlight tape. I love that guy. He's great."
Taylor is just another key piece on the Bears' roster that will help hold down the line while Williams and the rest of the offensive unit try to find their footing. He's an incredible asset to have and continues to prove that each and every week.
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