CINCINNATI – Darrin Simmons has been a special teams coach in the NFL for more than a quarter of a century, and he’s never seen anyone like Ryan Rehkow.

What began as a three-man competition for the punting job in training camp has ended with Rehkow as the last man standing after the team cut Brad Robbins on Wednesday following a Rehkow performance Sunday at Carolina that was one of the best in franchise history.

“The ball just gets small when he hits it sometimes, when it goes up in the air,” Simmons said. “I’ve not seen anybody that can hit the ball as high and as far as he can. I’ve seen guys who can hit the ball higher; I’ve seen guys who can hit the ball farther. But to do the combination of it is pretty rare.

“He’s the most powerful guy I’ve ever coached.”

Rehkow punted three times for 170 yards against the Panthers. His gross average of 56.7 yards ranks as the second-highest single game total in team history. And his 51.3-yard net average also ranks second in team annal.

And in terms of NFL ranking sin 2024, Rehkow is all alone in first place in both gross (58.4) and net (49.7) averages.

The NFL record for gross punting average in a season is 53.1, set by the Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse in both 2022 and 2023.

The record for net average is 46.0, set by Johnny Hekker in 2016 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.

A Cincinnati punter hasn’t led the league in gross average since Pat McInally in 1981 (46.1). The only other Bengals punter to do it was Dave Lewis in 1970 (46.2).

The team’s highest finisher in net average was Lee Johnson, who was second in 1996 (45.9).

Simmons and the Cincinnati scouts knew Rehkow was a special talent coming out of BYU, but he was the one that got away.

Until he wasn’t.

Rehkow signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent but was cut at the end of the spring.

“He is somebody that we tried to get here after the draft,” Simmons said. “We were in negotiations with him after the draft, but he chose to go to Kansas City. He felt the opportunity in Kansas City was a good one, which it was.

“Kansas City was quick to make a decision not to keep him, and we had an opportunity to bring him in and work him out.”

Rehkow signed with the Bengals on July 26, the third day of training camp, joining incumbent Brad Robbins and undrafted rookie Austin McNamara.

The Bengals cut McNamara on Aug. 7, and they waived Robbins, their 2023 sixth-round pick, on Wednesday after removing him from Injured Reserve, where he had been since suffering a hip flexor injury Aug. 13.

While possessing a powerful leg, Rehkow struggled with consistency throughout camp, and he had four punts of 35 yards or less in the preseason games.

He also had five of at least 55 yards.

Four games into a career – no matter how impressive they have been – is too early to deem someone consistent, but Simmons said he likes the direction Rehkow is heading.

“We’re just kind of in a spot right now where we made the decision to go with him,” he said. “We’ve seen enough, and it’s my job to make him more consistent.

“I always say for a specialist, your most important ability is repeatability – being able to hit the same ball over and over and over and over again,” Simmons continued. “And he’s made a lot of progression that way since he’s been here. He’s shown flashes of being someone who can really make a difference and really help us.”

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