It appears that the Cincinnati Bengals have solved their special teams liability.
Just one year after the Bengals selected Michigan punter Brad Robbins with a sixth-round draft pick, punter Austin McNamara is the most likely undrafted free agent to join Cincinnati’s roster, according to The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman.
Baumgardner and Dochterman stated, “McNamara was one of college football’s best, averaging 46.3 yards per punt in his final season. The Bengals ranked 30th in punting average last year.” McNamara planted 24 of his 55 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2023, boomed 21 punts over 50 yards, and forced 27 fair catches. A strong contest between McNamara and the current winner, Brad Robbins, is anticipated.
Since Kevin Huber averaged 46.8 yards per punt in 2014, the Bengals have not had a punter selected to the Pro Bowl.
Robbins v. McNamara: The Story of the Tape
In 2023, Robbins wasn’t the worst punter in the NFL, but he was very near to it.
Robbins, who was selected in the 2023 NFL draft as one of three punters, finished 31st in the league with an average of 44.3 yards per punt across 76 punts. With twenty punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, he was tied for 23rd place in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears selected Iowa’s Tory Taylor in the fourth round (with pick No. 122 overall) in 2024, the only punter taken in the draft.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound McNamara was a four-time All-Big 12 pick and the first Red Raider to win Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023. He was one of the top punters in collegiate football during his career at Texas Tech.
Against West Virginia in 2020, McNamara’s 87-yard punt set a Big 12 record.
McNamara’s Big 12 record-setting average of 48.2 yards per punt in 2021 was achieved.
According to NFL expert Lance Zierlein, McNamara “has the body type and leg teams look for in an NFL punter.” Zierlein predicted McNamara as a potential seventh-round draft pick. “He can punt long and with good hang time, but he has sometimes outpunted his coverage, which has resulted in a lot of return yardage.” Despite having the ability to flip fields, his touch was a little inconsistent in 2023 and will need to be improved for crucial field position matches.
“McNamara is a talent that can be drafted and has a good chance of making an NFL roster.”
Bengals franchise history includes just one all-pro punter.
In the franchise’s existence, the Cincinnati Bengals have only had one punter, and he is among the more unusual athletes in league history, make the NFL All-Pro Team.
In the fifth round of the 1975 NFL draft, Pat McInally, a wide receiver and punter from Harvard, was selected by the Bengals. Originally playing both positions, McInally played in the NFL from 1975 to 1985. From 1976 to 1985, he was the Bengals’ full-time punter.
At six foot six and 210 pounds, McInally made history in 1981 by being the first player from Harvard to play in both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl. That same year, he became the only punter in Bengals history to be named an NFL All-Pro.
