Tory Taylor's strong leg can boost Bears kicking game

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Almost five years ago, Bears punter Tory Taylor hadn’t been to the United States and hadn’t started punting an American football. Now, he’s facing the pressure of being one of the few punters ever drafted.

“You know, when that stuff kind of comes up, I really think about how if five years ago, someone told me that I'd be standing at the podium in an NFL facility, I would have told them they’re absolutely crazy,” Taylor said.

An Australian native, the Bears' fourth-round pick came to the United States in 2020 as a freshman at Iowa 10 days before the Hawkeyes’ first game. The late start didn’t affect Taylor, as his first punt went 50 yards.

The Bears can use Taylor after former punter Trenton Gill finished with the fourth-lowest percentage of punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line (26.9%).

Taylor helped Iowa win games by pinning the opposing offense in disadvantaged situations. He won the 2023 Ray Guy Award, given to the best player at his position.

“He helped us so much in 2023 against Wisconsin [Iowa won 15-6]," Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods told the Sun-Times. "While it’s not ideal for any team to punt 10 times, he averaged over 50 yards a punt. In a position where the stadium was windy, he was able to master it and come out and have a dominant performance.”

In that game against Wisconsin, Taylor had two punts go for 60+ yards, and six were downed inside the 20-yard line. Beatty said Taylor was one of the most competitive players on the team.

“We knew he had a great punt because of how excited he was,” Woods said. “It was like watching Tiger Woods when he makes a great shot on the golf course with the fist pump he’s got.”