5 Bengals who upped their stock in preseason opener vs Packers
- Tycen Anderson is an obvious standout
- Jordan Battle showed major potential
- Andrei Iosivas led the team in receiving yards
- The punter battle doesn't feel like a battle
- Jay Tufele will make the DL depth competition interesting
Brad Robbins
The battle for the punter job is also an interesting one that had been brewing for the Bengals this off-season. After replacing longtime Bengal Kevin Huber early in the season last year, Drue Chrisman struggled to flip the field when he came in on fourth downs, especially toward the end of the season. However, distance wasn't his biggest concern, it was his hangtime. Or, rather, lack thereof.
So, also drafted in the sixth round, the Bengals selected Michigan punter Brad Robbins to create competition at the position and bring the best out of both of them. Throughout training camp, Robbins answered that call again and again with some impressive boots.
We finally saw his punting in an actual game on Friday night, and Robbins performed valiantly. He was called on five times and, on average, his punts went 44.8 yards, which is a decent distance. However, when it comes to Robbins' punting ability, it's not the distance that's most impressive, it's how long those punts stay in the air.
He showed a lot of that off in his five attempts, allowing the rest of the unit to get down to the returner and ensure he called for a fair catch. Or, if he didn't, that he wouldn't be getting far after fielding the punt.
His most impressive was a 65-yard boot that ultimately ended up being a touchback. However, it showed that, while hangtime is what Brad Robbins has been advertised for, he does have quite a leg on him that can flip the field whenever the Bengals' offense struggles.