The Bengals will be the first team this season to activate a player from IR. As it happens, a punter will be the first such transaction. Brad Robbins is coming off IR and will move back onto Cincinnati’s active roster.
Cincinnati’s full-time punter last season, Robbins already received a return designation after suffering an injury this summer. A quad injury sidelined the young specialist, but he will return to the Bengals’ 53-man roster, which now houses two punters. Because the Bengals designated Robbins for return before upon their initial 53, he already counted toward their eight-activation limit. Today’s move does not affect Cincy’s count.
Robbins joins Ryan Rehkow as punters currently on Cincinnati’s active roster. Teams almost never keep two punters on their 53-man roster, and veteran Bengals reporter Jay Morrison notes this is believed to be Rehkow’s job to lose. The Bengals had discussed continuing their punter competition once Robbins recovered. Though, it is a bit difficult to see this being an active-roster battle for an extended period. One figures to be dropped to the practice squad, though that player would need to clear waivers first.
Robbins averaged just 44.3 yards per punt as a rookie. The Michigan alum, who will turn 26 next week, ranked as the league’s third-worst punter in terms of gross average in 2023. He placed 26.3% of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
The Bengals selected Robbins in last year’s sixth round out of Michigan; the ex-Jim Harbaugh recruit spent six years with the Wolverines and had been the program’s primary punter in four of those seasons. He will vie with Rehkow, a rookie UDFA out of BYU, to win his job back. Rehkow will be difficult to unseat, however, as he is averaging an NFL-high 58.4 yards per boot. While 13 games remain, that number would smash Ryan Stonehouse‘s single-season record, illustrating the uphill battle Robbins is set to wage.