Broncos have extra offseason roster spot thanks to their punter

Between now and the start of rookie minicamp, the Broncos will officially sign a slew of undrafted rookies to complete their roster, having agreed to terms with them in the frenzied moments after the NFL Draft concluded.

But the Broncos will have one extra roster spot with which to work.

That’s thanks to their second-year punter, Jeremy Crawshaw. As was the case last year, the Australian counts as an international player, meaning the Broncos will have an exemption for him and he will not count toward the 90-player roster limit throughout the offseason and preseason.

That exemption vanishes once the league-mandated cut to 53 players takes place in advance of the regular season. For now, it will allow the Broncos to carry one extra player on their roster.

CRAWSHAW HELPED DELIVER THE BRONCOS THEIR FIRST PLAYOFF WIN IN NEARLY 10 YEARS

After an inconsistent preseason, Crawshaw found his form in the regular season and ultimately finished with a promising rookie campaign. Among 32 punters with at least 25 punts, Crawshaw was 15th in gross average, 20th in net average and 18th in percentage of punts that landed inside the 20-yard line.

But in the wild-card round, he came through in the clutch when it was needed most. After the Broncos went nowhere on their opening possession of overtime against the Buffalo Bills, Crawshow uncorked a 55-yard punt that forced the Bills to start their overtime possession at their 7-yard line. That proved crucial when Buffalo managed to gain 29 yards, but advanced no further and ultimately saw its drive end in a Ja’Quan McMillian interception.

Crawshaw’s clutch coffin-corner punt is what the Broncos hoped to see when they drafted him. That they get a bonus roster spot now is just added value from their promising punter.

Related

Broncos No. 31 in the NFL in ESPN’s under-25 Power RankingsThere’s one thing standing between the Broncos and a Super BowlBroncos Country should be careful when wishing for more downfield passesBroncos’ Robinson ‘looks like a future starter,’ so, can they get him more reps?Former Broncos starting cornerback gets another shot with BrownsESPN: ‘Don’t be surprised’ if a slow Broncos start leads to Payton calling plays