The 2025 preseason is in the books for Denver; the 53-man roster deadline is next. Specifically on Tuesday, August 26, all 32 NFL teams, including the Broncos, must cut their roster from 90 to 53 players. Training Camp and Preseason were a good opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their players and facilitate their decisions on which players make the roster and which ones get cut.
There is an underrated and critical position in football that not many people discuss, and on paper, seems like a lock on the 53-man roster, as there is no competition. Specifically, I am talking about the punter position, since the Broncos only have one player in the 90-man roster. This player is the 2025 sixth-round draft selection, and former Florida Gator, Jeremy Crawshaw. Denver lost Riley Dixon in free agency, as he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and later drafted Crawshaw.
Bad punts can give the opposing team a good field position that can eventually lead to game-losing drives. Yes, the punter isn't the quarterback, but it's still a very important position in football, and the Broncos wouldn't want to lose games because of bad punts, especially now that every game matters on the road for Super Bowl LX, as the preseason is over and the next game is already part of the regular season.
Broncos might need to consider giving rookie punter some competition after rough preseason
During these 3 preseason games, despite having a 61-yard bomb, rookie Jeremy Crawshaw had 6 punts for 262 yards (43.7 average yards/punt), on paper ... very disappointing. Just to get an idea, the NFL average in yards per punt was approximately 47.97 during the 2024-25 regular season. Yes, Crawshaw is a rookie, and he will improve moving forward, but the Denver Broncos cannot have an inconsistent punter. Luckily, Crawshaw's performances were in preseason games, which do not count, but if he does not improve, I would not be surprised if Denver's future starting punter is not on the actual roster.
I personally do not think that Jeremy Crawshaw's job is in danger following a disappointing preseason. Denver used a draft selection on him, and these coaches, especially the special teams staff, led by the former New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi, can help in the rookie's development throughout the season. If things do not go well, there is an underrated player in free agency whom the Broncos could take a look at.
#Broncos rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw's had a couple low line drives this preseason. Hang time and placement have been pretty inconsistent overall, that just set up a field goal for Saints
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 23, 2025
The player I am talking about is Ryan Stonehouse, the former Second-Team All-Pro with the Tennessee Titans. Stonehouse played college football in Colorado, specifically at CSU. He has punted at Denver's altitude and has good experience in the NFL. He led the league in average yards per punt in back-to-back seasons (2022 & 2023) with 53.1 (in both seasons), respectively.
Stonehouse has punted over 200 times in his young NFL career. His career average is 52.2 yards per punt. This is significantly better compared to what the Broncos have had in recent years. Adding a veteran such as Ryan not only puts pressure on the rookie Crawshaw but can also help him with his development. Other free agent punters include: Michael Palardy and Pat O'Donnell.