The Bears made the rare move of drafting a punter in the fourth round. Their No. 1 pick is hoping he doesn't get used much.
Iowa punter Tory Taylor was selected with the No. 122 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first special teams player selected in the class.
Caleb Williams sent the standout Hawkeye punter a text telling him just how often he hopes to see Chicago use him, Taylor told the media.
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What did Caleb Williams text to Tory Taylor on draft day?
"Hey, you're not going to punt too much this year," the text read, per The Athletic's Adam Jahns.
No Division I player punted more than Taylor in 2023, when he boomed 93 kicks. He averaged 48.16 yards per boot, the third-best in the country. In total, he had 4,479 punting yards, setting the single-season record for punting yards, topping Michigan State Johnny Pingel's 1938 mark of 4,138. He won the Ray Guy Award, given to the country's top punter.
By contrast, Williams' USC team did not punt much at all in 2023. The Trojans' Eddie Czaplicki punted only 44 times, tied for 91st out of 96 punters.
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The Bears were tied for 18th-most with 67 punts in 2023, but they've worked to make sure they can cut down on that number in 2024. Chicago acquired Keenan Allen and D'Andre Swift in free agency, then drafted Caleb Williams at quarterback and Rome Odunze at wide receiver to go along with WR DJ Moore, TE Cole Kmet, and RB Roschon Johnson from last year.
Expectations are going to be high for the Bears in 2024 after appearing to finally have their franchise quarterback. Fans will certainly be sharing the sentiment of Williams in hoping to see more from the QB than from the franchise punter.