Ryan Rehkow's two years in the NFL have yielded the two best punting seasons in Bengals history. His third could put him in the Pro Bowl.
So says Bengals assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. But only if Rehkow comes close to halving his NFL-leading 11 touchbacks of 2025.
"That's definitely an area of emphasis so far during this offseason," said Rehkow Wednesday after a rare offseason gathering of The Operation in a session at the I.E.L Indoor Facility. "That's going to continue to be it."
Kicker Evan McPherson took advantage of Rehkow popping in from Utah and long-snapper William Wagner reporting from suburban Atlanta back to what he calls his "home base," to get in a few kicks.
"Smooth,' said Wager of the first snaps and holds of the season. "Like riding a bike."
The Bengals have been riding Rehkow's rockets ever since his first NFL game in 2024, when he punted himself into the NFL record book. This past season he became the first Bengal to average more than 50 yards per punt with a 50.5 that made him the 11th punter to hit that mark with at least 25 punts in the 56 years of the merger.
But, he says the idea is jacking up that 42.9-yard net average, second in Bengals' annals to Rehkow's 43.3 as a rookie.
"It's interesting, because with the kickoff change, you find yourself in that gray area a lot more," Rehkow said. "Do I just let it rip. Do I take a little bit off? I think there was a learning curve to that for me last year, and so headed into this year, it's just knowing what my go-to is in those situations."
Situational, along with directional, are the key words for Rehkow. His plan of attack this offseason is to marry his mechanics with what the situation requires.
"I feel like there's some different techniques that you can use to just kind of mitigate the risk of a touchback," Rehkow said. "It's more so, where are you aiming? How are you trying to manipulate the ball? … It's easier to take something off the ball than it is to put more on the ball. I saw the areas that I was lacking and how my training correlated to that.
"It's just been shifting that when I'm on the field working, putting myself in those situations so that it's not like bombs away every time, which is what it has been in the past. Now, it's let's work a little bit more situational and just get even more comfortable in those spots."
The numbers say that it won't take much. Jordan Stout was voted All-Pro with a 50.1 gross average and six touchbacks. Tress Way was the other Pro Bowler with a 47.9 and four touchbacks.
"There are a lot of talented punters out there," Rehkow said, "and I definitely strive to be one of them."