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The Cincinnati Bengals have more holes to fill than usual on Darrin Simmons’ special teams unit.
With names like Alex Erickson and Giovani Bernard gone, Simmons has spent the offseason adding free agents and draft picks capable of filling those big voids.
And one of those is punt returner.
Based on what Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com has seen so far, undrafted running back Pooka Williams is starting to stand out as a big option there:
“Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons continues to hunt for a punt returner among undrafted rookies Pooka Williams Jr., and Riley Lees and veteran Trent Taylor. Williams is getting more and more comfortable catching punts for the first time in his life and is gaining confidence by the day in a roster joust that probably won’t be decide until the pre-season finale.”
Pooka was one of the undrafted free agents the Bengals gave the most cash to, so it isn’t all too shocking to see he’s already standing out. He’s also the poster boy for undrafted free agents who have the best chance of making the final roster.
Pooka, along with Lees and Taylor, are fighting for their roster lives by showing they can make a difference on special teams. And from the sounds of it, the undrafted free agent who can also make a big impact on the offense if given a chance might be close to pulling ahead.
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