After being selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, it was a foregone conclusion that Tory Taylor was going to replace Trenton Gill as the team's starting punter.
Gill has trended toward being one of the worst punters in the NFL over the course of the past two seasons and while the fourth round may be slightly high for a team to take a punter, Taylor, as he was with Iowa, could be a difference-maker for the Bears' defense in terms of field position.
The Bears did not waste any time in officially anointing Taylor as the team's starting punter. On Wednesday, the team announced that they have released Trenton Gill.
#Bears roster move:
— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) May 1, 2024
We have waived P Trenton Gill.
The latest Chicago Bears' roster move should surprise no one.
Gill was one of the players that we circled after the draft in terms of their roster spot on the Bears potentially being lost. The Bears had hoped they solved their punting woes when they took Gill in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Instead, Gill struggled to flip the field in his time as the Bears' punter. Given the emphasis that Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus places on field position for his defense, there is no question that Gill was a liability.
Gill's release will likely be the first of several roster moves that the Bears make ahead of their rookie mini-camp next week. The mini-camp is set to take place on May 10 and 11 and will mark the first time that Taylor, along with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are on a football as members of the Bears' organization.