Could Tory Taylor do the impossible and win Defensive Rookie of the Year?

When the Chicago Bears selected punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the reactions were aplenty.

Just a quarter of the way through his first season, and Taylor already has fans out of their seats following a punt.

Read that again. It's a punt -- a punt.

Yes, Taylor has been as good as advertised and worth every bit of that fourth rounder spent. He's been so good that there are those out there who have even posed the question: could he win NFL Rookie of the Year?

ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak was asked that very question in his latest column and went on to calrify whether Taylor would be considered for Offensive or Defensive Rookie of the Year:

"I think a punter would win Defensive Rookie of the Year, even though he is technically on the field when his team possesses the football. Punting is generally considered a defensive act -- you are trying to make it harder for the other team to score -- and Taylor obviously does an excellent job of that," Solak wrote.

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The analyst went on to talk about Taylor's current numbers, though, as a reason why he wouldn't be in the conversation:

"Here's the thing though: Taylor is getting gassed right now. His long of 66 yards is not even top 10 in the league. The league averages 42.3 net yards per punt, and he's at 42.0. You can't fool me, Bears fans. I have the stats."

Stats don't tell the whole story for just how good Bears rookie Tory Taylor has been

While Solak isn't wrong and Taylor's current net yards per punt is just under league average, you've got to dig further to understand why that is.

Take the past couple of games, for example. For Bears fans thinking Taylor has been lights-out, they're not wrong. In Week 4 against the Rams, Taylor punted five times. Here is a simple breakdown of each punt to put things into context.

Punt No. 1: Taylor punts from Chicago's 44-yard line, downed at the LAR 5-yard line (near-impossible starting field position for the Rams)
Punt No. 2: Taylor punts from Chicago's 27-yard line, downed at LAR 26-yard line (64-yard punt)
Punt No. 3: Taylor punts from Chicago's 39-yard line, touchback
Punt No. 4: Taylor punts from Chicago's 26-yard line, downed at LAR 8-yard line (another one inside the 10)
Punt No. 5: Taylor punts from Chicago's 35-yard line, downed at LAR 8-yard line (inside the 10 for a third time in five punts)

Only one touchback in five attempts is pretty solid for the rookie, but watching three of the five get downed inside the 10-yard line? That's other-worldly.

Now, there isn't currently any viable data for punts landed inside the 10-yard line. But, Taylor does have the fifth-most punts downed inside the 20-yard line through four games with nine. In Week 3's matchup with the Colts, Taylor punted three times, and all three of those punts landed inside the 20-yard line, with one of them being returned past that point.

To have his best game yet in Week 4 is right about where you'd like to see Taylor. You can't ask for much more than what he's done, to this point, and if he continues to ascend, his Rookie of the Year case will only pick up more steam.