Unexpected Bears Rookie Impressing Teammates Early on in Season

Throughout the first month of the 2024 regular season, most Chicago Bears fans have been paying attention to rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, who were both taken with the first 10 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Odunze had a breakout game in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts but is still trying to find his footing. The same thing can be said for Williams, who played well in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams.

However, another rookie is making a name for himself and his Bear teammates are starting to take notice.

According to Chris Emma of 670 The Score, Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson had high praise for rookie punter Tory Taylor.

“I haven't been that pumped up for a punt in a long time. He's definitely special, man,” Johnson said. “So, definitely giving us some punt-and-pins, giving them bad field position, giving us some good field position for us to be able to pin our ears back and go hunt.”

Many fans were puzzled to see the Bears take a punter in the fourth round in the 2024 NFL draft, but he’s been as advertised. Taylor averaged 55.3 yards per punt in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Among his five punts against the Rams, the rookie punt had one go for a touchback, while three went inside the 20-yard line. This season, the former Iowa standout is recording 47.9 yards per punt, with nine out of 20 punts landing inside the 20.

With that in mind, the rookie punter has been a special teams weapon for the Bears early on as the offense tries to find its groove. Meanwhile, Chicago’s defense has been given excellent field position, which helps them not to play on their heels.

The rookie punter will look to make life tough for the Carolina Panthers this coming week, who are coming off a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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