Darrin Simmons on Brad Robbins' Rookie Struggles: 'There's A Lot of Room for Improvement'

Cincinnati took Robbins in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jan 5, 2024 1:10 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Bengals rookie punter Brad Robbins has struggled this season.

Cincinnati was hoping Robbins would have an Evan McPherson-like rookie campaign after they took him in the sixth-round (217th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The 25-year-old ranks 32nd in the NFL in punter EPA. He's averaging 44.2 yards-per-punt this season.

"He still has a lot to learn and how to grow," special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said. "Punting in the NFL, it's not about lining up back up there and swinging away and hitting the ball as high as far as you can. So much situational stuff that comes into play.

"I think if you ask Brad, he'd probably echo the same. He's probably a little disappointed in it and I think there's a lot of room for improvement," Simmons said. "He's got to carryover what he does in practice into games. And I think having a year under his belt will certainly help that. I expect him to make giant strides this next year. I think it was certainly inconsistent at the beginning and there have been moments throughout the year where it's been inconsistent. There have been some moments where it's been pretty good."

Robbins does have 19 punts inside the 20-yard line this season. He's also been a quality holder on extra points and field goal attempts.

Who knows if the Bengals will add competition at punter this offseason, but they certainly need to improve in that area. It's why they drafted Robbins in the first place. He's certainly flashed his potential in practice and there are times when he has solid stretches, but he's been far too inconsistent this season.

"I thought that playing 15 years in Michigan would give him a lot of experience in that. II'm also requiring him to do different things he did there," Simmons said. "I think he'll grow in that area knowing exactly what I want [now] that we've been together for a season, hopefully that'll improve immensely."

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