The 2024 calendar year was a roller coaster professionally for former BYU punter Ryan Rehkow, as he went from being an undrafted rookie free agent to being signed and released by the Kansas City Chiefs to being signed by the Cincinnati Bengals and excelling as a first-year player.
Now through three games of the 2025 season, Rehkow has been arguably the best punter in the entire NFL. Most notably, he is not only leading the league in average yards per punt at exactly 54, but he is also tied for second in total number of punts at 15.
The two players just behind Rehkow in yards per punt at 53.5, the Green Bay Packers’ Daniel Whelan and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Braden Mann, have both punted just 12 times on the young season.
Regarding total number of punts, the Minnesota Vikings’ Ryan Wright is just ahead of him with 16, but Wright is all the way down at 21st in the league in average yards per punt at 47.3.
The player Rehkow is tied with at 15 punts on the season, the Arizona Cardinals’ Blake Gillikin, is fifth in the NFL in average yards per punt at 51.4.
Rehkow and Mann are also both tied for second in the NFL for longest punt at 70 yards, just one yard behind the New England Patriots’ Bryce Baringer.
Rehkow is excelling for a Bengals team that lost star quarterback Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury in Week 2 that could sideline him for the rest of the season.