Cincinnati Bengals first-teamersplayed a few snaps in the preseason opener and then became spectators for much of the Aug. 13 game against the Detroit Lions. But key special teams players like punter Ryan Rehkow and kicker Evan McPherson don't enjoy that luxury.
After some of their high-profile teammates exited the game, Rehkow and McPherson kept kicking as the game at Paycor Stadium required them to through to the final whistle. Long snapper Will Wagner was on the field for each kick, too.
Deploying special teams in this way during preseason action is common, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Being available all game, and on a night when it rained for long stretches
with some less-experienced players around them, kept Rehkow, McPherson and Wagner in the spotlight and under scrutiny.
"I think it's good. We have the opportunity to get a lot of looks... it's good to feel that pressure,' Rehkow said. "Me, Evan and Will always talk about (how) 'we're gonna grit it out. We're gonna grit it out. We're gonna do our job.' But I think every snap that I get, it's a blessing and a privilege.
"It's fun. Sometimes we get a lot more work in during preseason just with the nature of, if the offense is humming. It's still a lot of fun."
Turns out Rehkow's embrace of potentially-perilous preseason exposure is well-founded. He had five punts against the Lions. One was a touchback, but three were inside Detroit's 20-yard line and his final kick of the game produced a Lions fair-catch on their 9-yard line.
For McPherson's part, he converted all four of the kicks he attempted, including three fields goals (the first from 56 yards out in a driving rain) and one extra point.
It was a night when Bengals special teams coordinator Darren Simmons empowered Rehkow, and Rehkow said he had the confidence to experiment in a way he hadn't in past years.
"I think I want to have a little execution in terms of hitting cleaner balls but there was the stuff that I did in that game that I hadn't done in the two years prior. I feel like preseason is a good time to pull some things out that I've been working on. You're kind of low-risk, high-reward in getting ready for the season, and in years past I probably wouldn't have been as comfortable to try those things. It was good. Darren had confidence in me."
Rehkow spoke to The Enquirer following Cincinnati's Aug. 16 training camp session, which was billed as special-teams centric. It was another day for Rehkow to experiment and perfect his craft following a 2025 season in which he ranked the No. 9 punter in the NFL in terms of punt net average, according to Pro Football Focus.
"I think it was good. We worked on a lot of different situational stuff," Rehkow said. "Stuff that you might see once in a season. You might not see it all, and so I feel like there's some of those situations − I think we even saw some of them (versus Detroit) − that are just good to review."
Rehkow, ever a student of the game and admirer of other punters, also discussed his affinity for the traditional spiral punt as opposed to other styles such as the end-over-end kicks produced by the cross-body, Australian Rules-style punt.
"Me, I like the traditional spiral," Rehkow said. "I think that is an art in and of itself. When you hit one clean, I don't think there any better feeling."
Myles Murphy returns | Notable Bengals participants, absences
Defensive end Myles Murphy's exit from the team's Aug. 15 camp session on the back of a golf cart grabbed headlines, but after being treated for muscle cramps, he returned Aug. 16.
Receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase watched the Aug. 16 morning session in street clothes.
Play of the day
Bengals cornerback Jalen Davis nearly took this honor because he had pads popping loudly during a team period late on Aug. 16. Davis used brute force and physicality to separate a receiver from the ball, and you need some of that during camp.
But because we're watching the ascension of receiver Colbie Young, we'll give him the nod for this connection with quarterback Joe Burrow earlier in the morning.
Rookie v rookie.
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) August 16, 2026
Colbie Young wins this one against Bobo Davis.@WLWT pic.twitter.com/rVQpzIkECr
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we learned from Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow at training camp
