After Cincinnati Bengals punt returner Darius Phillips got benched in the second half on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd returned the second punt of his six-year career.
Boyd practices with the punt returners, so he’s prepared in case there’s an “emergency” situation. The Bengals reached that point against the 49ers when Phillips fumbled twice.
In the first quarter, Phillips spotted the 49ers 3 points with a muffled fumble. He went to the locker room to be evaluated for a shoulder injury, but Phillips came back into the game and made two more returns. Following a second fumble on a punt return before halftime that cost the Bengals 7 points, Phillips watched the rest of the game from the sideline.
Before Sunday’s 26-23 loss, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor made a change at punt returner. One week after Phillips was a healthy scratch and wide receiver Trenton Irwin returned punts, Phillips returned punts and Irwin was a healthy scratch.
According to Taylor, the change to Phillips had nothing to do with how Irwin did against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.
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“There were a lot of roster issues that we just had to manage,” Taylor said. “Overall, we were dealing with some injuries to where we structured it the way we structured it just to get the guys on the field that needed to get on the field.”
Since Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was limited by a foot injury on Sunday, Taylor kept seven cornerbacks on the active roster, which is a rare move for the Bengals. Taylor also only kept five wide receivers on the active roster, which is another rare move.
So the Bengals could have more depth at cornerback, Phillips filled the last spot on the active gameday roster. Phillips replaced Irwin on the gameday roster and was the only experienced punt returner the Bengals had available.
Phillips has returned punts for most of the season with the Bengals, but hasn’t been consistent enough to hold onto the starting punt return role for more than a few weeks.
Since the Bengals drafted Phillips in 2018, Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons has challenged Phillips to prove he can “catch the ball.” Phillips was a standout returner in college, but he had to wait for a shot to return punts in the NFL.
Between 2016 and 2020, the Bengals had wide receiver Alex Erickson as their punt returner. Erickson was consistent and reliable, even if he wasn’t the more explosive punt returner. Phillips practiced at punt returner during practice between 2018 and 2020, and he returned five punts in games during that stretch.
But according to Simmons, Phillips didn’t feel like he had a great chance to become the punt returner as long as Erickson was on the roster.
“Everybody assumed Alex was going to be the guy, and away we go,” Simmons said during training camp in August. “I don’t think it got (Darius)’ complete focus.”
In 2020, Simmons entered training camp with the plan for Phillips to challenge Erickson for the punt return job. Simmons’ his plan was quickly derailed. Cornerback Trae Waynes suffered a pectoral injury, which made Phillips a starting cornerback.
That took Phillips off the table as a punt returner in 2020, and Erickson returned all 23 punts last season.
“Darius had to become a starting corner on defense, and I can’t put a starting corner out there,” Simmons said in August. “That got sidetracked and derailed so his focus and attention kind of goes elsewhere.”
Phillips’ role changed during the 2021 offseason. After the Bengals signed four cornerbacks in free agency, Phillips slid down the depth chart. Erickson signed with the Houston Texans, opening up a hole on the special teams depth chart.
The Bengals didn’t replace Erickson in the NFL draft, opting for more depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Instead of signing a more established veteran, the Bengals added wide receiver Trent Taylor for rookie mini-camp. Taylor, who has 49 career punt returns, competed for the last spot on the 53-man roster throughout Bengals training camp.
Phillips competed with Taylor and 2019 undrafted free agent Trenton Irwin for the punt return job during the summer.
“We all know the big question with Darius is, ‘Can he catch the ball? Can he handle the ball?’” Simmons said in August. “I think he's done that pretty (darn) good so far in camp. I feel better about him right now than I have really probably at any point that he's been here.”
None of the punt return contenders made a splash play during training camp, and none of them made the roster because of their skills as a punt returner.
Stanley Morgan Jr. took the 53rd spot on the roster because of his consistency as a four-phase special teamer and as a run blocker. Phillips added depth at cornerback, and Irwin and Taylor got cut.
Since the Bengals didn’t add another punt returner to the 53-man before the season started, Phillips won the competition by default.
Phillips never was a consistent returner during the regular season, and Irwin signed back onto the Bengals 53-man roster after Week 1. In Week 4, Week 6 and Week 7, Phillips and Irwin split reps. In Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Irwin returned punts, and Phillips was a healthy scratch.
“We knew this coming into (the) season, we were going to be very inexperienced at that spot,” Simmons said in November. “A lot of it's going to go with our roster shape and who's going to be the eligible or active players for us to have on game day.”
Entering Sunday’s game against the 49ers, Phillips was the sixth-lowest ranked punt returner in the NFL in average return yardage. He was a healthy scratch against the Chargers, and Irwin cleanly fielded the lone punt return in that game.
Then in Week 14, Phillips was active over Irwin, and Phillips was the only option on the roster to return punts against the 49ers. He was treated for a shoulder injury during the first quarter. Following Phillips’ second fumble, the Bengals didn’t release an injury designation when Phillips left the game.
Since the Bengals rarely use a starting player as a punt returner, Irwin is the most likely candidate to return punts next week in Denver. Irwin hasn’t been an explosive returner, but Simmons has praised Irwin’s consistency and his hands. Taylor remains an option if the Bengals make a roster move and add him to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
Regardless of what the Bengals do the rest of the season, the decision to not replace Erickson on the active gameday roster cost the Bengals a win this week.
“We’ve got to do a better job of protecting the football all around,” Zac Taylor said. “It’s kind of been our Achilles heel in a lot of our losses.”
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