Tory Taylor continues to impress during rookie season |
When the Bears elected to take a Punter in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft and chose Tory Taylor, it marked a new era in Chicago. Not only was Taylor the highest-rated and the best punter in college, but it gave the Bears one of the best special teams units in the NFL before he even stepped foot on an NFL field.
Here we are four weeks later, and Taylor is not only living up to his hype but is also starting to get plenty of attention, and the rest of the NFL and his team are noticing. All you have to do is look at his performance against the Rams last week to see what everyone is talking about. Any time a punter is discussed as a potential player of the game, bad things tend to happen, as that typically means the offense did little to nothing. That wasn't the case on Sunday, as the Bears offense picked up 24 points, but Taylor's right leg also made the biggest difference in the game. Taylor punted five times against the Rams, totaling 277 yards. That comes out to 55.4 yards per punt (48.0 net yards), as he did a great job flipping the field to set things up for the defense. Going a bit farther than that, Taylor also had three of his five punts downed inside the 10-yard line, which was the most of any punter in week four. That performance alone earned Taylor special teams player of the week honors, and it seems he is well on his way to earning more. A team must succeed at all three phases to be a championship contender. The Bears' defense will continue to be one of the best in the game, while their offense is a work in progress. Regarding the special team's side of things, Cairo Santos remains one of the most accurate kickers in the league, but the addition of Taylor has turned the Bears special teams unit into one of the best in the league. Any time you can average 55 yards per punt over five punts in a game, you are doing something right, but it was the fourth quarter when Taylor stood out. Taylor played a crucial role in the Bears, picking up the victory and closing things out as he flipped the field occasionally. That included a 66-yard punt with less than three minutes left to pin the Rams deep in their own territory. That ultimately led to a three and out, but that was only the start for Taylor as he responded with another punt downed inside the 10, leading to the game-ending Jaquon Brisker interception. Taylor is the first Bears player to earn special teams player of the week honors since Santos did in 2022, but he is just the second punter in team history to earn the award. Brad Maynard was the only other punter to achieve this honor when he took home the honor in week 16 of the 2007 season. The NFL isn't the only one noticing Taylor's success; the entire team has marveled at his production. He is the definition of a silent weapon that can be deployed at any time and drastically change a game. The deeper Taylor puts his punts downfield, the more aggressive the defense can be. That alone is crucial when you have a young QB under center, as the defense is there to take the pressure off Caleb Williams. No one wants to get ahead of themselves right now, but should Taylor keep this up for the duration of his career, you could be looking at one of the best punters of all time.
