Bears punter Tory Taylor wins NFC special teams award

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- At the conclusion of NFL draft, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams did something he'd never done before. Hours after the Bears drafted Iowa's Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick in the fourth round, Williams found himself watching punter highlights.

Williams was ecstatic to learn that the nation's best college punter, who set an all-time FBS record with a 46.3-yard career average, was going to be his teammate. And the congratulatory message the No. 1 overall pick fired off to his new teammate came with a bold proclamation.

"Caleb just texted me before saying, 'Hey, you're not going to punt too much here,' which is great," Taylor recalled in April. "Certainly, the NFL is going to be a lot different than Iowa. I punted - what was it, 90-something times [in 2023]? - 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' tongue-in-cheek assertion hasn't played out the way the quarterback had expected, but while the Bears offense has worked through its early season ups and downs, Taylor's contributions have made him every bit the "weapon" general manager Ryan Poles believed he was getting.

"The thought process there is to make anyone we're playing really uncomfortable," Poles said this offseason. "I didn't play much in the NFL, but I know running onto the field and having the ball spotted inside the 10-yard line is a very uncomfortable feeling. It's disheartening at times. And I love taking advantage of field position. And, really, that should help us with points as well."

Only three teams have punted more through the first four weeks of the season than the Bears (20), and Taylor is tied for the fifth-most punts (9) downed inside the 20-yard line.

In a 24-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Taylor had five punts for 277 yards and downed three inside the 20-yard line. His 55.4-yard average registered as the third-highest mark in a single game by a Bears punter since at least 1960, setting the franchise's single-game record by a rookie.

That performance earned him the NFC special teams player of the week award, which Taylor views as a bit of a personal justification for being only the fourth punter to be drafted in the fourth round since 2012.

"Absolutely, and I think it's one of those things that when my career is done, I want [Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] and Poles to look like absolute geniuses," Taylor said.

The Australian born punter who didn't start playing American football until 2019 played a critical role in closing out the Rams in Week 4. While protecting Chicago's six-point lead late in the game after Los Angeles kicker Joshua Karty nailed a 52-yard field goal, Taylor booted a 66-yard punt to the Rams' 8-yard line with 6:33 to play.

Taylor clenched both of his fists and yelled in excitement as he ran off the field. The advantage he gave the Bears in the final minutes could be felt throughout the sideline.

"I haven't been that pumped up for a punt in a long time," cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. "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."

A three-and-out forced by the Bears defense haltedMatthew Stafford's chance to lead the Rams back from a late-game deficit. Taylor produced a similar result after Chicago's next drive when his 35-yard punt was downed inside the Rams' 10-yard line, which iced the game.

One week after turning in a performance he dubbed "s---," and one of the worst of his career in Chicago's loss at Indianapolis, Taylor is still learning how to process the mental hurdles that come with moving past a tough outing. In the loss to the Colts, he netted a season-low gross average (42.3 yards) and a 36.0-yard net average.

Taylor didn't face many struggles during his collegiate career, particular his senior season in 2023 where his punts outgained the Iowa offense by 1,195 yards.

Though the 27-year-old rookie doesn't expect to see the field as often in the NFL and put up similar numbers, his expectations of becoming one of Chicago's most impactful players remain the same.

"We could be scoring 50 points a game or five points per game and it's really the same for me," Taylor said. "Whenever we've got the ball, I go through my routine and make sure that I'm not changing anything. When the offense has the ball, I'm always ready. Like I said, whether or not we're scoring points, I'll be ready regardless. I don't have a choice. That's my job."