Denver Broncos top 3 underrated roster weaknesses

Punt Returner

How close are the Broncos to having their punt return position settled?

Not close, according to Vic Fangio.

That’s not a great thing to hear from the head coach after all of OTAs have been completed, training camp is, for the most part, completed, and there are two preseason games in the books.

The Broncos need someone who can catch the ball first and foremost back there. It looks like they have a couple of guys who can do that. But this is a team that was literally dead last in the NFL last year with 4.4 yards per return.

That is one of the worst averages in recent history.

Of course, it’s not a necessity for the team to lead the NFL in return average, but it would be nice to average close to 10 yards in that category. That’s not too much to ask as 10 teams in the league last year averaged over 10 yards per return, and another three teams were at nine yards or better.

The Broncos have River Cracraft, Nick Williams, Kelvin McKnight, Trinity Benson, Brendan Langley, and a few other players up for consideration here. No one has managed to become a clear favorite at this point so the Broncos could end up looking elsewhere.

The Carolina Panthers have had some great success returning punts early on in preseason action with two guys in Terry Godwin and Rashad Ross making big plays in that area. Former Kansas City Chiefs returner and offensive gadget player De’Anthony Thomas is also a free agent.

The Broncos could very well still find someone on their own roster to fill this role for 2019, but they might also have to look at other rosters around the league.