Denver Broncos: Grading the 2019 Special Teams
To finish off the Denver Broncos 2019 season grades, we take a closer look at the special teams unit and grade each position of the unit.
As free agency progresses and we draw closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, we continue on with the last of our position grades of the 2019 NFL Season. To wrap up, contributors Ty Walden and Shelby Manning take a closer look at and grade the special teams unit.
Like the rest of the Denver Broncos’ roster in 2019, the special teams unit faced its ups and downs. The Broncos’ special teams unit in recent years has had the tendency to get a bad rap. However, the unit as a whole performed better than one may think by just looking at the surface.
Today, we will grade kicker Brandon McManus, punter Colby Wadman, kick/punt returner Diontae Spencer, and long snapper Casey Kreiter.
Brandon McManus, K
2019 Stats: 29/34; 85.3 FG%; 53 LNG; 112 Points.
2019 Grade: B
After a rough 2018 season, Brandon McManus had a bit of a bounce back in 2019. He converted on 29 of his 34 field goals. He was extremely reliable at 20-49 yards, converting 25/27 of those attempts, and was a perfect 6/6 and 9/9 on 20-29 and 30-39 yard attempts respectively.
He was able to score at some clutch moments. One of which was a last second field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers as time expired in Drew Lock’s first start. But perhaps his one worst moment was missing a field goal indoors against the Minnesota Vikings.
Had the Broncos converted that field goal, that would have kept the game to where Denver did not need a touchdown to get the win. It is also worth noting that McManus struggled from 50-plus yard attempts, finishing 4/7 on the year. This is an area he has struggled with in his career (he has yet to convert 50% of his field goal attempts from 50 or more yards).
While he is not talked about much, he has quietly become one of the most solid kickers in the league. I think he is more accurate than he is given credit for.
Colby Wadman, P
2019 Stats: 78 Punts; 44.4 AVG; 65 LNG; 4 Touchbacks; 5.13 Touchback %.
2019 Grade: D-
Can I ask why the Denver Broncos decided to part ways with Marquette King? I think it might be one of the worst moves in the post Super Bowl 50 era. It truly is head scratching that he was given so little of an opportunity with the Broncos and was released mid-season by the team in 2018.
Sadly, their replacement would not prove to be of any improvement. Wadman has not been a great addition to the special teams of Denver. With the thin air in Denver, I would assume his punts would be better. But no matter where, Wadman is due for at least one bad punt a game. And the opponents have scored on about every fourth bad punt Wadman has kicked.
Wadman frequently set opposing offenses up with favorable field position, immediately backing the Broncos’ defensive unit up against a wall. Hopefully the Broncos find his replacement this offseason, and it appears they have with the signing of former Lions’ P Sam Martin. This signing is a likely indicator that Wadman’s time with the Broncos is likely over.
Diontae Spencer, WR/KR/PR
2019 Stats: Punt Returns- 26 Returns, 208 Yards, LNG 42; Kick Returns- 15 Returns, 436 Yards, LNG 60.
2019 Grade: C+
It is very tricky to have a solid grade for Spencer as a kick and punt returner because there was not a lot of flashy moves from the new returner. However, with his lightning speed, there is room for optimism.
Denver has yet to find any sort of solid return game since parting ways with Trindon Holliday in 2014, who stills holds many of the Broncos’ return records. It would be big if Spencer could even bring half of the productivity that Holliday brought to the return game. He did have at least one good punt and a few good kick returns.
Other than that, we did not see much from him. Averaging eight yards per punt return and just over 29 yards per kick is not flashy, but it is what it is. We could see some improvement, but for now, it is not an exact improvement just yet. Perhaps once this team finds more solid footing overall, Spencer will be able to further establish himself.
Casey Kreiter, LS
2019 Grade: A
Although there are not really stats to back up Casey Kreiter’s performance, he rarely messes up a snap or sends it sailing over the QB’s head, and he is a more than solid long snapper, even earning Pro Bowl Honors in 2018.
Next. 3 CBs who could replace Chris Harris. dark
He has been a very solid addition to the special teams unit. However, Casey Kreiter’s contract is up, and in signing young long-snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer to the roster, it looks like the Broncos plan to move on from Casey Kreiter in 2020.