When Bears GM Ryan Poles used a fourth-round pick on punter Tory Taylor in 2024, the vision was clear. Drafting a field-flipping weapon and turning hidden yardage into a weekly advantage was the plan. Two seasons in, that return hasn’t fully materialized.
Tory Taylor’s 2025 Snapshot
Taylor saw the field less in 2025, which, in theory, is a good thing. Ben Johnson’s offense cut his workload by 22 punts compared to his rookie year.
But while the volume dipped, the efficiency didn’t take a meaningful step forward. He averaged 47.8 yards per punt, nearly identical to his rookie mark, but his touchbacks jumped from four to seven, spiking his touchback rate to 11.7 percent. Only 35 percent of his punts landed inside the 20, down from 41.5 percent the year prior.
2025 CHICAGO BEARS SPECIAL TEAMS RANKINGS
There were flashes. Taylor connected on a career-long 69-yard punt, landed a 62-yard punt that pinned the Raiders at the 1-yard line back in Week 4, and booted 21 punts inside the 20. But consistency remained elusive. The Bears ranked 24th in net punting, and as a unit, special teams finished in the middle of the pack at 15th overall. For a player drafted where he was, “average” isn’t the goal.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesBy the Numbers
Punts: 60 Average: 47.8 Net average: 40.5 Long: 69 Yards: 2,870 Touchbacks: 7 PFF Grade: 63.5 (26th of 32 punters)Tory Taylor’s Contract Status
(Contract details and figures are courtesy of Over The Cap)
Tory Taylor is heading into the third season of his four-year, $4.76 million rookie deal. Taylor’s $1.26 million cap number doesn’t affect the Bears negatively, and any transactional savings are so minimal that there’s little reason to consider Chicago moving on from Taylor right now.
Turning the Page
The reality is simple: fourth-round punters don’t get infinite runway.
Taylor isn’t in immediate danger, but the expectations are different for him than for a typical Day 3 specialist. The Bears didn’t draft him to be serviceable. They drafted him as a weapon, someone who consistently tilts the field position and minimizes mistakes.
Jake Moody celebrates with punter Tory Taylor after kicking a game-winning field goal against the Washington Commanders. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesThe encouraging part? The raw leg strength is still there. The fix likely comes down to placement, situational awareness, and eliminating touchbacks, areas that can improve with refinement rather than reinvention.
If 2026 brings a noticeable jump in net average and pin rate, the narrative changes quickly. If not, the conversation about draft value versus production will only get louder.
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