Tory Taylor hilariously roasts Caleb Williams over QB's pre-draft message to Bears rookie punter after slow preseason start
Caleb Williams' belief in himself and the Chicago Bears offense has already backfired. After the team selected punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft, the quarterback contacted Taylor to welcome him to Chicago while also boasting about not needing the rookie's punting services often.
On the latest episode of Hard Knocks, Taylor revealed that the former USC star told him his services wouldn't be required a lot during his time in Chicago.
However, the fourth-round pick got the opportunity to throw a friendly jibe at his teammate in the Bears' third preseason outing against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the game, the quarterback complimented Taylor's excellent performance. The punter then said to Williams:
"I thought you said no more, like, no punts. We had three in the first quarter, man."
Caleb Williams chuckled and responded that it was only preseason. However, as the quarterback noted, Taylor has been stellar.
In his debut for the Bears against the Buffalo Bills, he punted the ball twice for 96 yards, landing one inside Buffalo's 20-yard line. In his second outing against the Bengals at Soldier Field, he punted three times for 150 yards, with one landing inside Cincinnati's 20-yard line.
Chicago has seemingly found a long-term solution to their punting problem. But have they also found their franchise quarterback?
How has Caleb Williams' fared in the preseason?
Like Taylor, Caleb Williams made his Bears debut in the team's second preseason game against the Bills at Orchard Park. The rookie looked comfortable in his first offensive series and set up a 30-yard chip shot for kicker Cairo Santo.
He completed his first four pass attempts for 94 yards and fired dimes on his next two, but his receivers dropped them. His final effort was a slightly overthrown pass in the end zone on a 3rd-and-9 play, which ended the Bears' drive. In addition to his crisp passing, the rookie showed off his ability to run with the ball with an opportunistic 13-yard carry that moved the chains.
His second outing against the Cincinnati Bengals was also promising. He completed 6-of-13 passes for 75 yards and rushed for a touchdown. His seven-yard run into the end zone was the highlight of the game.
Caleb Williams has looked confident in his two appearances so far. He has shown no hesitation to let the ball fly or tuck it into his arm and take off when needed.
Chicago is hoping that the former USC Trojan will be the answer at quarterback that they've been yearning for for decades. It remains to be seen how he fares in his rookie year but the signs are positive.