RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Denver Broncos have strong special teams coming into this important season, but there is room for improvement here and there. There are a couple of different areas here, so let’s do a breakdown based on what Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post came up with in his series of breakdowns of different positions.
Start with the kicker. Wil Lutz was visited by the football gods this year, as he made nearly every kick he was faced with in a clutch situation. As a reward he got a lucrative extension, and he definitely earned it.
But Lutz won’t make every clutch kick this year. He knows it, the Broncos know it and fans know it. That’s the cyclical life of a kicker, and the timing of Lutz’s misses are something to watch going foward.
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw also had a good year, but he’s capable of more. Crawshaw started out as one of the best positional punters in football, and he was constantly pinning opponents inside their 20-yard line with precision sideline shots.
But Crawshaw started missing more of those in the second half, and he also showed less of the big leg he was known for in college at Floriday. There’s another step up for the punter from very good to elite, and the yardage that comes with that kind of performance can make a big difference at key moments.
The biggest questions are in the return game. Marvin Mims Jr. was one of the best in the game on punts, but he wasn’t all that on kickoffs, and like many teams in the NFL, the Broncos never did find a formula as they tried to master the new format. That will be a priority for many teams this year, and expect the Broncos to be one of them.
Mims’ future as a Bronco is still very much in question as well. He looks to be the odd man out among the receivers, even though he’s made it clear he’d love to be included in the ongoing extension party.
The Broncos will get offers for Mims in training camp, and if Denver does decide to trade him, they’ll have a big hole to fill and some questions to answer. The same could be true at the trade deadline, which would create and even tougher situation because it’s much more difficult to replace reliable, explosive returners like Mims in midseason.
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