Evan McPherson was booming punts in Bengals’ latest practice

Some problems exist for the Cincinnati Bengals’ special teams department. Evan McPherson has missed his last two field goals, and Kevin Huber’s consistency punting the ball has gone awry.

So what if the former took the latter’s place?

In the team’s final practice before the bye week, McPherson got some reps punting the ball and looked damn fine doing it.

I mean... what was that a five second hang-time? Four-and-a-half at least? Is he playing the wrong position right now?

McPherson’s midseason “slump” is a lot less concerning compared to Huber’s downward trajectory. The 23-year-old placekicker went through a similar stretch last season and turned it on towards the playoff push. Huber showed signs of decline last year, and they’ve carried over into his 14th season with the team.

Based on this evidence, why not give both jobs to McPherson?

In all seriousness, the Bengals will indeed be thinking about the punting situation going forward. Huber won the job back in August and has established himself atop the team record book. If there’s ever been a time to move on, it’s now with Drue Chrisman ready and waiting in the wings. The second-year punter has recently been punting in uniform before games to get a feel for the environment as well as his usual practice work.

And an emergency backup in McPherson doesn’t hurt.