Chicago Bears waive punter Trenton Gill after selecting Tory Taylor in 2024 NFL Draft
CHICAGO, Ill. - Chicago Bears punter Trenton Gill's days were numbered when the Bears drafted Iowa's Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Those days came to an end Wednesday.
The Bears officially waived Gill on Wednesday afternoon, the team announced.
That clears the path for Taylor to be the Bears' first-string punter.
The Bears drafted Gill with the No. 255 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 draft out of NC State.
Gill put together a solid rookie season. However, in the 2023 season he regressed.
Gill averaged 38.0 net yards per punt last season. That number ranked last in the NFL. His punts had a touchback rate of 11.9%; that figure tied for third-worst in the NFL.
Over the course of the season, 26.9 percent of Gill's punts landed inside the 20-yard line. That number was fourth-worst in the league.
In drafting Taylor, the Bears took arguably the best punter prospect the league has seen in years. He set numerous punting records across his time at Iowa.
On the Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, Bears general manager Ryan Poles talked about the decision to draft Taylor.
"I love taking advantage of field position," Poles said on the Pat McAfee Show. "Tory Taylor is going to make it uncomfortable for other teams."
During his four years at Iowa, Taylor had a 48.2 yards per punt average in one season, had a 52.3 yards per punt average in one game with a minimum of seven attempts and recorded a long punt of 67 yards. He broke 3 other NCAA punting records, too.
When Poles talked about drafting players with the idea of upgrading at a position even when the Bears don't have a clear need, drafting Taylor is a perfect example.
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