Ryan Rehkow Has Been An Unexpected Bright Spot In A Dark Start
Credit: Sam Greene/Imagn Images
The 2024 season has not started easily for the Cincinnati Bengals. Perhaps the best sign that is the case is that the breakout player of 2024 so far has been… rookie punter Ryan Rehkow.
It’s a strange twist, as normally, punters are not exciting players to watch. Punters rank just below “intoxicated fan” as the people that fans least want to see run onto the field. Seeing a punter come out on fourth down signifies a failed offensive drive. However, unlike the intoxicated fan, punters are a necessity.
Thankfully, just four games into the 2024 season, it appears as if the Bengals have found a punter that’s not only consistent, but impressive.
Bengals' Ryan Rehkow averaging 58.4 yards per punt, an NFL record pace. https://t.co/qltdgBFZ20
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 2, 2024
The Bengals signed Rehkow, who fans have nicknamed “Uncle Rehkow” and “Rehkow Suave,” in late July, about six weeks after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was brought in as preseason competition for 2023 sixth-round pick Brad Robbins, who was statistically one of the worst punters in the NFL in his rookie year. Robbins had the third-lowest yards per punt average (44.3 yards) and the lowest percentage of punts inside the 20 (26.3%) in the NFL.
Despite Robbins’ poor rookie season, the Bengals gave him an opportunity to win his job back for his sophomore season, but an upper leg injury in training camp thwarted that shot. He was placed on injured reserve to begin the season, confirming that he would miss at least the first four games. It made Rehkow the Day 1 starter, and the assumption was that Robbins would be able to return to the starting job once he was healthy.
However, after four weeks, Rehkow seized the starting job and did not let go.
The Ryan Rehkow era in Cincinnati has officially begun. https://t.co/xO8JEzlgoE
— Jackson Payne (@jackson5payne) October 1, 2024
He basically locked down the job in three weeks worth of work, as the Bengals didn’t even punt in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders. The BYU product made the decision relatively easy after leading the NFL in both yards per punt (58.4) and net yards per punt (49.7). He quickly made his presence known in Week 1, when he set the NFL record for the highest average yards per punt in a game, with 64.5 yards. He beat Raiders punter A.J. Cole’s previous mark by nearly a full yard (63.6 yards). This average was somewhat inflated by an 80-yard punt that came within inches of pinning the Patriots inside their own one-yard line, sure, but yards are yards.
Ryan Rehkow is UNBELIEVABLE.
Longest punt in Bengals history in his first NFL game! pic.twitter.com/03Xd4VBCRE
— Jackson Payne (@jackson5payne) September 8, 2024
It took a grand total of two tries for Rehkow to break the Bengals’ franchise record for longest punt. Talk about making your presence known.
His current 58.4 yards per punt pace would shatter the current NFL record of 53.1 set by Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse in 2022. However, like an early .400 batting average, that pace seems almost impossible to maintain, especially since that average is based on a rather small sample size of only nine punts. That said, his performance has impressed everyone, from the coaching staff, to at-home viewers, to fans in the top row who now get to see footballs at eye level for the first time.
“He has, on multiple occasions, been able to dig us out of a hole,” special teams coach Darrin Simmons said. “From a field position standpoint, (it’s) a huge, huge, huge factor for us. I think obviously you could see this. Everybody can see it. He came here with leg talent, and that’s something I can’t coach. And the ball just gets small when he hits it sometimes when it goes up in the air. I’ve not seen anybody (hit) the ball as high and as far as he can, the combination. I’ve seen guys (get) the ball higher. I can see guys hit the ball (farther). But to do the combination of (both) is pretty rare.”
The Bengals have struggled to find a consistent punter since the retirement of longtime punter Kevin Huber, who had punted footballs in Cincinnati dating back to his days at McNicholas High School. Drue Chrisman and Brad Robbins, the stopgap punters that the Bengals had since Huber’s retirement, both had their moments, but they were largely inconsistent. However, with Rehkow’s incredibly strong beginning to the season, they might have — and yes, this sounds ridiculous to say — their franchise punter for years to come.
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