The Denver Broncos are bringing in some offseason competition for 2020 free agent acquisition Sam Martin at the punter position. That competition will come in the form of 2019 Ray Guy Award winner Max Duffy, a former Australian Football League player who became one of the best punter prospects in America over the course of the last three years.
His signing with the Denver Broncos was first reported by Mike Klis.
Broncos have signed P Max Duffy who is out here punting. Former Aussie football pro who is now 28-year-old rookie from Kentucky. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) May 24, 2021
Duffy’s availability at this point is quite a surprise.
Many had Duffy, who will be 28 this season, as the top overall punter prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class and a player who could have been picked as high as the fifth round.
There’s no question he proved himself to be a weapon at Kentucky by setting the school’s all-time mark of 46.0 yards per boot. In 2019, Duffy won the Ray Guy award given to the nation’s top punter after averaging a strong 48.1 yards per punt.
He’s also a pretty intriguing athlete out there as a former Aussie rules player who can move a little bit.
WE SEE YOU, MAX DUFFY 👀 pic.twitter.com/7fvZ8BIyQK
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 2, 2021
Sam Martin is obviously a veteran and at this point could be considered at or slightly above league average in a number of ways. He signed a contract with the Denver Broncos which had all of the guaranteed money in the first year, so the Broncos could save $2.3 million against the 2021 salary cap if Duffy wins the punter competition over Martin.
There’s certainly no reason to overreact to a punter signing but the fact that Duffy was considered arguably the best punter in the entire 2021 NFL Draft class is noteworthy.
With such a strong leg, Duffy could certainly find a way to take advantage of the altitude in Denver. It was nice in 2020 to not have a huge issue at the punter position as the Denver Broncos have had in recent years, but Martin was certainly not otherworldly out there by any stretch.
He ranked in the top half of the league with 46.8 yards per kick, but also had one blocked and at least a couple of others that came very close to being blocked. He ranked in the bottom half of the league on kicks inside the 20.
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You don’t have to look too far to find reasons the Denver Broncos may justify bringing in competition at punter, especially with the possibility of freeing up $2.3 million.