Bengals sign former Bills punter to replace Huber - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV

The Bengals said Tuesday that they have signed former Bills punter Shawn Powell to replace Kevin Huber who suffered a broken jaw in Sunday's loss to the Steelers.

The Bengals placed Huber on injured reserve and he is finished playing for the season. 

The Bills cut Powell after their Oct. 3 loss to the Browns, according to NFL.com.

Powell played in 13 games last year with the Bills and five games this year. His longest punt this season was 66 yards. He attended Florida State University. 

Huber was leveled by Pittsburgh linebacker Terence Garvin during an Antonio Brown punt return and was diagnosed with a fractured jaw. He had his jaw wired shut at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Huber says he'll have surgery on Friday to repair his broken jaw. Bengals players were off Tuesday, but Huber visited Paul Brown Stadium. He told The Associated Press that he broke his jaw by the chin and also cracked one vertebra.

Powell entered the NFL last season as a college free agent with Buffalo. This season he averaged 46.1 yards with 10 inside-20 kicks and five touchbacks.  Last year, he set a Bills team rookie record with a gross punting average of 44.0.

Huber this week ranks eighth in the NFL in net punting average at 40.5. On Dec. 1 at San Diego, he tied a franchise record for longest punt (75 yards). He is the Bengals' all-time leader in gross punting average (44.2), net average (39.1) and ratio of inside-20 kicks to touchbacks (3.69-to-1). Last year he set Bengals season records for gross average (46.6) and net (42.0).

The Bengals host the Vikings at 1 p.m. Sunday. If the game sells out, it will be televised on FOX19.

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