5 Chicago Bears players with a lot to prove in 2022

Chicago Bears player no. 5: Trenton Gill, Punter

The Chicago Bears took a really big risk at punter. They had Pat O’Donnell, who wasn’t the best punter but was a solid one for eight seasons. Poles allowed him to walk via free agency.

Poles then signed Ryan Winslow. Winslow played on three teams in three seasons. He was active in six games but didn’t punt in any. Not exactly a hopeful proposition.

You figure that Poles would want some competition to bring out the best in players right? Well, Poles did that by drafting Trenton Gill, the seventh-round pick. However, he got two punters with exactly zero career punts between them.

That competition we were to see never materialized, though. Last month, the Bears cut Winslow, making Gill the only punter on the roster. We certainly hope that Poles goes out and signs a veteran punter who can push the rookie so the coaches can see how good Gill is.

If he isn’t up to the challenge then the Bears have a replacement. If he is up to par, then that makes things much better.

Gill will have a lot of pressure on him. This Bears offense is a work in progress so we might see quite a few punts. Gill has to be able to sometimes flip the field so the defense isn’t always on a short field.

The longer number of yards the opposing offense has to go for a touchdown the better. Gill has to get the job done.