Last year, the Denver Broncos’ special teams units were nothing special. Let’s go over some of the “highlights” from 2022.
Not only did they lead the league in punts (96), kicker Brandon McManus also missed the most field goals in a season of his career (8) and rookie return specialist Montrell Washington fumbled five times.
Suffice it to say, the Broncos are in major need of a special teams makeover. During free agency, Denver signed punter Riley Dixon, who returns to the Broncos after most recently playing for the Los Angeles Rams. After signing Dixon, they released Corliss Waitman, who, despite leading the NFL in punts, had one of the shortest punts of the season among qualifying punters who booted at least 25 kicks (57 yards). Comparatively, Dixon’s longest punt in 2022 was 67 yards.
The Broncos also made a change at long snapper, letting Jacob Bobenmoyer walk in free agency. Mitchell Fraboni, who filled in for an injured Bobenmoyer in four games last year, now appears set to become the team’s full-time long snapper in 2023.
In addition, the Broncos also acquired cornerback Tremon Smith, who was a kick returner for the Houston Texans to compete with Washington as a specialist. Will this competition bring out the best in Washington? Or will Denver be looking for another returner in the draft?
This new-look special teams unit has some great potential. It would certainly be nice to rank near the bottom of the league in punts, and near the top of the NFL in return yards. With new special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica and new assistant head coach Mike Westhoff leading the charge, the Broncos should take a big step forward on special teams this fall.
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