6 Bears Who Won't Survive the Preseason

6. Corliss Waitman, Punter

The writing has been on the wall here pretty much all offseason, but it's only a matter of time before the Bears trim their roster down to just one punter, and Tory Taylor isn't going anywhere.

Corliss Waitman is going to be punting elsewhere for the 2024 NFL season and got a shot to get some decent work in the first two preseason games against the Texans and Bills. Even with the Bears scoring 33 points in this one against Buffalo, Waitman hit one of his punts inside the 20 and had another one go for 45 yards.

It's interesting that the Bears would keep multiple punters in the first place. Not that Tory Taylor needs a lot of reps. He was the Iowa Hawkeyes' top offensive weapon over the last handful of years because he pinned teams so deep with his punts that Iowa's defense could get a quick stop or turnover and completely flip the field.

The Bears expect Taylor to be a difference-maker on special teams in the same way, especially given that he has kicked well despite the elements in Big Ten country.

Waitman has plenty of experience and was the full-time punter for the Denver Broncos a couple of years ago. If he can continue to kick well in the preseason, he should have no issues finding another job. And if he punts really well, the Bears might even be able to get a draft pick or pick swap in a trade out of it.

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