Bengals waive a familiar face as rookie wins starting job at an important position
The Cincinnati Bengals made a major roster move ahead of their Week 5 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, as the team officially waived second-year punter Brad Robbins.
Brad Robbins' days in Cincinnati are numbered
Robbins, who the Bengals selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, missed the first four games of the season with a quadriceps injury, and he was just activated from the reserved/injured list earlier this week.
There was some speculation that Robbins would take over as the primary punter upon his return, but that isn't going to be the case.
The decision to waive Robbins means that rookie kicker Ryan Rehkow will remain in the role as the team's starting punter. This decision was probably a relatively easy one for the Bengals, as Rehkow has been stellar so far this season. The rookie kicker leads the entire NFL in both gross punting average (58.4) and net punting average (49.7). He looks like the punter of the future in Cincinnati. Having a reliable punter is extremely important in the NFL, and it seems like the Bengals are very happy with what Rehkow brings to the table.
Meanwhile, Robbins will now be free to sign elsewhere following his release by the Bengals. There's consistently demand for punters in the NFL, so you have to imagine that he'll get another opportunity elsewhere.
The Bengals should have both of their kicking spots solidified now, as kicker Evan McPherson has had a pretty solid start to the 2024 season for Cincinnati. McPherson has connected on nine of his 10 field goal attempts so far, including all three of his attempts from 50 yards and beyond. McPherson has held the role of kicker in Cincinnati since 2021.
The move to solidify Rehkow as the punter for the rest of the season comes at an important time for the 1-3 Bengals, as divisonal games are about to get underway. Three of Cincinnati's next six games come against division rivals, starting with the matchup against the Ravens in Week 5.
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