Punter Tory Taylor First Bears Draft Pick to Sign Contract

Iowa's Aussie-born pick inks his rookie contract as the Bears begin the process of bringing their draft class into the fold.

Tory Taylor practices punting on Day 1 of Bears rookie minicamp. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The process of signing draft picks has begun for the Bears and punter Tory Taylor is the first of the 2024 class to enlist on the payroll.

Taylor, their fourth-round pick from Iowa, signed his rookie contract on Saturday and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower was gushing about what he saw from his latest addition on the practice field.

"The strength in his leg and then the touch that he has, you guys saw the strength in his leg yesterday," Hightower told media. "Yesterday we worked open-field punting and he's as good as advertised. Did a nice job yesterday. He looked comfortable."

The plan for the Saturday practice was to let Taylor display his ability to pin opponents inside the 20, if not the 10 or the 5.

Although he's a punter and from Australia, at that, Hightower sees Taylor much a part of the team as any defensive or offensive player.

"The most important thing to Tory is winning, and that's very evident when you talk to him," Hightower said. "He just wants to win. No nonsense and he wants to win and he wants to do his part to help the team win.

"So those are some things that stood out in the initial process but again, yesterday was day one, so you guys saw Day 1."

Taylor averaged 46.3 yards per punt over his four-year Iowa career with 295 punts. He had 93 punts last season for a career-high 48.2-yard average. The Bears released their punter from last year and 2022, Trenton Gill, shortly after drafting Taylor.

Taylor has such a "magical" foot that Hightower said they plan to use him on some kickoffs, just as with Gill.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven