Bears punter Trenton Gill released after Iowa’s Tory Taylor drafted in 4th round

The Bears waived punter Trenton Gill on Wednesday, according the the NFL transaction wire.

The move comes days after the team selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Taylor, a 26-year-old Australian, was an All-American punter last season and set the NCAA single-season record for punt yardage, breaking an 85-year-old mark.

If he clears waivers, Gill will become a free agent. The Bears drafted Gill out of NC State with a seventh-round pick in 2022. He served as the team’s starting punter for two seasons, as well as the holder on field goal attempts.

Last season, Gill ranked 25th among NFL punters in yards per punt (at 46.1 yards per punt). He also ranked 28th with only 18 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and 30th at percentage of punts downed inside the 20 (26.9%).

Using a fourth-round pick on a punter showed just how committed general manager Ryan Poles was to upgrading the position. Taylor, selected 122nd overall, became the first kicker or punter selected in the 2024 draft.

“Really excited about Tory,” Poles said. “One of the best punters I’ve ever seen, just in terms of his placement as well as his leg strength to be able to flip the field.”

Really excited about Tory. One of the best punters I’ve ever seen, just in terms of his placement as well as his leg strength to be able to flip the field.”

—  Ryan Poles, Bears general manager