Caleb Williams' promise to Tory Taylor finally comes true for Bears

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Nov 7, 2025 - 01:30
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Caleb Williams' promise to Tory Taylor finally comes true for Bears

It looks like Caleb Williams and Tory Taylor may wind up having the last laugh when it comes to punting. The two members of the Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft class made headlines last year when Williams, picked first overall, messaged Taylor after he was selected in the fourth round to congratulate him, along with a special message. "Hey, you're not going to punt too much here," Williams told Taylor in a text.

That message backfired in a big way last season as Taylor was second in the NFL in total punts with 82. He averaged nearly five punts per game as the Bears struggled through a 5-12 season with numerous issues. This year, however, looks more like the promise Williams made to Taylor.

Through eight games, Taylor has punted just 26 times, 23rd in the league. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, that is the lowest figure for the Bears during that span in the Super Bowl era. Taylor is averaging 3.25 punts per game and has had just one game where he had five or more punts. Last year, he had nine such games.

It's a testament to Williams and the Bears offense keeping drives alive for scoring chances, as well as head coach Ben Johnson's willingness to attempt more fourth-down conversions. The fewer punts seem to have helped Taylor as well. He's been more effective over the last few games, like pinning opponents deep and booting longer punts. We'll see if the offense can keep up this sort of pace, but for now, Williams' message wasn't wrong; it was just early.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Caleb Williams' promise to Tory Taylor finally comes true for Bears

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