Special teams battles are nothing new for Darrin Simmons and the Cincinnati Bengals. The longest tenured coach still working in Paycor Stadium has had the same job leading special teams with different titles since 2003, but change in personnel doesn't come easy under his command.

Prior to last season, the Bengals had Kevin Huber punting footballs for over a decade, and that was it. Huber's longevity allowed the team to ignore the position for the longest time. 



Now that Cincinnati's own Huber is officially retired, two Ohio natives will compete to officially take over for him, keeping the job inside the state like it should be.

Bengals Punter Competitors

Brad Robbins

He’s already wearing the No. 10 jersey, so is the job his to lose? That’s one way to look at it. Robbins comes straight out of booming punts and holding field goals for Michigan, where he excelled at both tasks. He was the 217th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the second of three punters selected. 

Replacing Huber requires a punter who can deliver quality hang time, and directional precision when punting towards the end zone. Robbins was a hang time king in college, as his 4.28 average led the NCAA in 2022 among starters, and had zero touchbacks as well.

Assuming a smooth transition from Ann Arbor to Cincinnati, Robbins should have no problem impressing Simmons over the next month. 

Drue Chrisman

He’s been a part of the Bengals for two years, and he finally got his chance to become Huber’s permanent replacement last season. Chrisman couldn’t beat out the veteran in training camp for the exact opposite reasons as to what made Robbins so good, but Huber’s left leg failing him during the season paved the way for Chrisman to take his place for the final 10 games of the year.

The numbers were great and bad at the same time. While Chrisman averaged a whopping 47.4 yards per punt, his average hang time was a meager 3.85. Only two others had an average under 4.00. It all came to a head when his final punt in the AFC Championship game led to a 29-yard punt return that set up the game-winning drive for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chrisman needs competition to improve in the areas that matter, and he'll have to battle it out once more.

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Simmons should be used to splitting reps at punter by now, and the battle will be as equal as it gets with just one place kicker and long snapper on the roster to work with both of them. 

Robbins' status as a draft pick with a four-year contract gives him an edge on its own. He was the better prospect exiting college, and with Chrisman's spot unsecured, we'll likely be seeing a new long-term punter starting this season.

Bengals punter Drue Chrisman is delivering DoorDash food for those in need

Such a simple and impactful way to help out.

Featured image via © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK