If the Broncos add kicker competition, it’s unlikely to be in free agency

It would seem unlikely that the Broncos will be active for a free-agent kicker.

Yes, Brandon McManus did not have a vintage year in 2022. But to cut him now would barely save more cap space than the dead-money figure created by moving on from him. A post-June 1 designation would ameliorate that hit.

But if the Broncos add to the kicking room, expect it to be in the form of youthful competition — perhaps from the draft, or the undrafted pool. The one kicker who could have raised eyebrows — Saints kicker Will Lutz — just agreed to a contract restructure with New Orleans, whose beleaguered cap situation still needs multiple moves before it is sorted out.

A quick look at available unrestricted or street free-agent kickers:

MASON CROSBY, PACKERS: At 38, the former Colorado standout still brings a great deal to the table — particularly short-to-intermediate range accuracy. But his kickoff distance is down — he was 31st of 31 kickers with at least 20 kickoffs in touchback percentage — and he hit just 1 of 4 attempts from beyond 50 yards, giving him a 50+ success rate that ranked 31st among 32 kickers with at least 20 total field-goal attempts.

Crosby might benefit from a change to a more hospitable kicking environment than Green Bay. But at the same time, he was perfect on field-goal attempts from inside 40 yards last year and missed just once in 25 attempts from inside of 50 yards. Being that reliable should ensure he gets a chance somewhere. If the Packers move on, don’t be surprised if he reunites with ex-Packers coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas.

ROBBIE GOULD, 49ERS: He’s still going strong at age 40, and has a bit more long-range power in his leg that Crosby does at this point.

MATT PRATER, CARDINALS: The ex-Bronco is still going strong at age 38, he had his best field-goal percentage in seven years last season. He’s also still got a cannon, going 5-of-6 from 50-plus last season.

MATT GAY, RAMS: Gay had the fourth-best success rate on field goals last year and was also an impressive 7-of-9 from 50-plus.

GREG JOSEPH, VIKINGS: Among 32 kickers with at least 20 field-goal attempts, Joseph ranked 27th with a success rate of 78.8 percent. Hurting him was a 40-percent success rate from 50-plus, fourth-worst among those 32 kickers.

RANDY BULLOCK, TITANS: Tennessee released Bullock last week after a season in which he was perfect from inside of 40 yards and hit all 28 of his extra points.

EDDY PIÑIERO, PANTHERS: He ranked second in field-goal percentage last year (33-of-35, 94.3 percent), although he had just two attempts from beyond 50 yards.

BRETT MAHER, COWBOYS: After his extra-point misadventures in the Cowboys’ wild-card win at Tampa Bay, the best situation he can likely hope to find is a camp competition. However, Maher also went 9-of-11 from beyond 50 yards.

GREG ZUERLEIN, JETS: It wasn’t a vintage season for “Greg The Leg,” as he ranked 26th of 32 kickers in field-goal percentage, barely above the 80-percent baseline. But “The Leg” still has plenty of pop, ranking third in touchback percentage among kickers with at least 20 kickoffs.

CHASE McLAUGHLIN, COLTS: He replaced the struggling Rodrigo Blankenship and immediately flourished. He hit 69 percent of his 13 attempts from beyond 50 yards and didn’t miss an extra point.

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