DENVER — A reflection of the Broncos’ 7-9 season last year was punter Colby Wadman was tied for sixth in punts while kicker Brandon McManus was tied for 24th in extra points.
Among the Broncos’ goals in 2020 are fewer punts from new punter Sam Martin and more extra point attempts by McManus.
A look at the Broncos’ special teams:
Coach: Tom McMahon, Chris Gould
McMahon is entering his 13th season as the Broncos’ special teams coordinator, third with the Broncos.
Gould, the younger brother of longtime NFL kicker Robbie Gould, is in his sixth season as a Broncos’ assistant.
Kicker: Brandon McManus
Ranked 12th in the league in field-goal percentage (29 of 34, 85.3%) and 13th in 33-yard, extra point percentage (25 of 26, 96.2%).
One of the strongest kickoff legs in the league.
Punter: Sam Martin
After 7 years of punting for the Lions, Martin became a free agent and signed a three-year, $7.05 million contract with the Broncos.
He was 17th in the NFL with a 45.3-yard gross average last season and 11th with a 41.8-yard net. Wadman ranked 25th in gross punting, 27th in net.
Long snapper: Justin Bobenmoyer or Wes Farnsworth
The Broncos released Casey Kreiter, their long snapper from the previous four years. Farnsworth and Bobenmoyer were both part of the Broncos’ mid-December tryout last year. Bobenmoyer snapped for Northern Colorado; Farnsworth for Nevada.
Returner: Diontae Spencer, KJ Hamler
Spencer was a fine returner for the Broncos last season, one of the team’s most consistent in years. He doesn’t have explosive speed but he makes good decisions, catches the ball well and has good quickness. He was third in the league in kickoff returns with a 29.1-yard average and tied for eighth in punt returns with an 8.0-yard average.
Hamler is faster and he returned both kickoffs and punts at Penn State, although the Broncos’ first hope is he’s too busy as a receiver to handle full-time return duties.
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