6 Bears Who Could Be Cut Prior to Training Camp

5. Corliss Waitman, punter

There's absolutely nothing wrong with NFL teams carrying additional specialists at this time of year. In fact, the Bears aren't the only team in their division with competition for one of the primary kicking jobs.

Although, let's be honest here -- is there really much of a competition happening?

The Bears used a fourth-round pick on Iowa Hawkeyes All-American punter Tory Taylor. They were so pleased with that selection that they actually cut another recent draft pick at the position -- former seventh-round pick Trenton Gill.

Taylor was a major special teams weapon for the Hawkeyes in his time in Iowa City, and the Bears have every reason to believe that a guy who has gotten used to the rigors of punting in the elements of Big Ten Country will be able to handle punting in Chicago, Green Bay, and wherever else the Bears have to go on the road and play.

The question is -- why are the Bears keeping Corliss Waitman around if Tory Taylor is such a no-brainer option? Part of the reason might be the fact that Waitman is a left-footed punter, and while teams usually bring left-footed punters in for in-season workouts to prepare for matchups where they are facing a left-footed punter, maybe the Bears want to have another option for the kickoff game and have their return men fielding all sorts of funky kicks all offseason.

Whatever the case, the punter job is signed, sealed, and delivered. Waitman is simply auditioning for the rest of the NFL while wearing a Bears uniform.