Chicago Bears 25 Most important players of 2024: Tory Taylor

We start a new series looking at the 25 most important Chicago Bears players for 2024. First up is punter Tory Taylor.

Now that the Chicago Bears‘ mandatory minicamp is in their rearview mirror, training camp is next. The players get to practice in pads and they play in preseason games. The fans get a close-up look at the new faces and the return of favorite veterans.

This year, the Bears overhauled the offense. There are some great targets at wide receiver, tight end, and running back. There is also a big improvement along the offensive line. For the team to succeed, certain players are very important. They need to step up and come through to help the team win games.

In that vein, we start a new series. We take a look at the 25 most important Chicago Bears players. There will be a profile of a player every day until around the start of training camp. We will recap their 2023 season and look ahead to 2024. First up is number 25.

Tory Taylor, Punter

Tory Taylor was a surprise pick for the Bears in this year’s draft. He was the team’s

fourth-round pick. He was the highest-drafted punter in the past decade. While many considered Caleb Williams a generational talent, Taylor could be a generational talent as a punter.

Last season, for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Taylor won the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in the nation. He had 93 punts, averaging 48.2 yards per punt. Of his punts, he had 29 fair catches, 32 inside the 20, and 7 touchbacks. He set the NCAA record for single-season punting yardage with 4,479.

Taylor helped Iowa stay in a lot of games. The offense struggled to score points (sound familiar?). The Hawkeyes ranked 132nd of 133 teams in points per game. Despite that, they finished the regular season with a 10-3 record and ranked 24th in the final poll.

Taylor also has a great personality. He loves to have a good time. He was a fan favorite at Iowa and will be a favorite in Chicago. With him and Williams, along with some other big personalities on the roster, this could be the most fun version of the Chicago Bears since the Super Bowl-winning team of 1985.

Now Taylor takes his talents to Chicago. He will be an important asset for the Bears.

His ability to flip the field will be crucial. He can boom the ball and pin the opponent deep in their territory. The Bears’ defense can then play aggressively and keep them there. If the defense does its job then it gives the offense a short field to operate.

Last Wednesday at minicamp, Taylor put on a show. He was impressing the team and the fans with his booming kicks. He dropped four punts inside the 5-yard line and three more punts inside the 10-yard line. It was incredible and raised hope for his 2024 season.

A nuclear missile just went into orbit via Tory Taylor’s leg pic.twitter.com/QoB96QSMQz

— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) June 4, 2024

In addition to the punts, Taylor could be important on kickoffs. The new rules will

result in more returns. While Cairo Santos is a great and accurate field goal kicker, his kickoffs have been a little short. Taylor can boom the kick and keep the returns to a minimum.

It should be a fun and effective season with Tory Taylor. He will help the offense play on a short field. The fans will love seeing his booming kicks. While Williams told him shortly after Taylor was drafted that he would not be punting much when he does he will be an impressive player and one of the top 25 Chicago Bears players in 2024.

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