It might be hard to believe, but the Denver Broncos have been struggling to find a legitimate punter for some years now, and it reached the point of using draft capital to try to address the issue.
Denver selected Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw from the University of Florida with their sixth-round selection, and questions are already surfacing over whether or not Crawshaw is the answer for the Broncos.
Crawshaw has been awarded the Broncos' starting job already and faced basically no competition in camp this year. Despite that, it almost feels like he lost the punting competition that never took place. His play was inconsistent, he seemed to struggle with the altitude, and was shaky at best. What makes this most concerning is that he had no issue showing the power of his leg, which some have gone as far as to call "rare".
Broncos rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw disappointing in preseason games
The Broncos' special teams unit under new coordinator Darren Rizzi appears to be set, but that does not mean it will be one of the league's best. We all know the skills of all-pro return man Marvin Mims Jr. and the ability of kicker Will Lutz, but Crawshaw's ability to set up the defense and turn over the field could be make-or-break for the Broncos and their playoff hunt this year.
Despite his strong pedigree coming out of the SEC, Crawshaw's shaky play early on is raising a lot of concern over his ability to produce at the NFL level. Despite his incredible leg talent, he struggles with placing kicks during the preseason, showing a serious concern over his accuracy. Ultimately, his ability to flip the field could decide if the Broncos make the preseason or not this year. On top of this, Denver effectively handed their rookie the reins to the starting spot with no true competition.
While you could argue the pick was still worth it, a lack of competition might have been an oversight by Rizzi and Sean Payton. As roster cuts come in, this could be a position where the Broncos look to add to their roster. There were some rumors of the Broncos signing a punter during the offseason, including veteran former Titan Ryan Stonehouse, but nothing has taken place... at least yet.
As the preseason winded down, concern over Crawshaw grew. Ultimately, he will likely get the chance to punt for the Broncos for most of the season, but continued struggles could lead to Denver moving in a different direction, and quickly.