The Las Vegas Raiders will likely have a new punter in Week 6. Just days after starter AJ Cole suffered an injury during the team's loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders are signing former Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills punter Brad Robbins.
The move is not official just yet, as the Raiders merely signed Robbins to their practice squad on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. That does not guarantee that Cole will miss Week 7, but it is an indicator that the team felt compelled to have a backup plan in order.
Cole injured his right leg on a blocked punt early in the second quarter. Colts linebacker Segun Olubi dove right into his kicking leg, and Cole remained down for several minutes after the play ended. He did not return to the game; kicker Daniel Carlson attempted the Raiders' only other punt at the end of their opening drive of the second half.
🚨 BLOCKED PUNT🚨
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/GMfSgQJDwc
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2025
Cole's injury was an unfortunate twist of fate, as he went down shortly after Colts kicker Spencer Shrader suffered a freak injury. Shrader also did not return and has since been ruled out for the year with a torn ACL and MCL.
Robbins, 27, has only appeared in 18 games since being selected by the Bengals in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He started for Cincinnati for the entire 2023 season, but was released early in 2024 after landing on IR with a quad injury.
Robbins missed the entire 2024 season with his injury, but returned in time for the 2025 season. He began the year as the Bills' punter, but Buffalo released him after he averaged just 39.5 yards per punt on four attempts in Week 1.
Raiders' 2025 special teams struggles
It has only been five games, but Cole's injury and Robbins' signing epitomize the state of the Raiders' special teams in 2025. Despite fairing well in most statistical categories, Las Vegas continues to shoot itself in the foot on kickoff and punting formats.
The Raiders rank highly in field goal percentage, punt yards and in kickoff and punt coverage, but they struggle with their discipline. Las Vegas has 10 special teams penalties — one of the highest in the league — and already has had two kicks blocked, including Cole's Week 5 punt.
The other blocked kick was one of the team's worst moments of the year. In a week full of blocked kicks, the Chicago Bears rejected Daniel Carlson's game-winning field goal in the closing moments of Week 4.
