The Bears waived punter Trenton Gill on Wednesday, just days after they drafted Tory Taylor. The move felt inevitable given the team’s investment of a fourth-round draft pick to bring in Taylor.
The move was first reported by Field Yates.
The Bears drafted Gill in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, and Gill put together a solid rookie season. But he took a step back last year. Gill’s 38.0 net yards/punt last season ranked dead last in the league. His 11.9% touchback rate was tied for third-worst. Gill’s 26.9% rate of punts inside the 20-yard line was fourth-worst.
Taylor is known for having a monster leg and left Iowa with several NCAA records. His 46.3 yard avg. over his career and his 4,479 total punt yards in 2023 are both the best marks of all-time. Taylor is also adept at pinning down opponents. He had 32 punts inside the 20-yard line last season and his punts led to 29 fair catches in 2023.
For his efforts, Taylor was named a unanimous All-American last year, and won the Ray Guy award which recognizes the top punter in the nation.
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