Through the first handful of weeks of the 2025 season, it seemed as though coach Darren Rizzi would not make it through his first season leading the Denver Broncos special teams. The now infamous leveraging call in Indianapolis fell squarely on the shoulders of the former Saints interim head coach, and their play took months to get better. By the end of the season, Denver's special teams were becoming a strength.
The Broncos needed to make a few changes, namely releasing supposed special teams ace Trent Sherfield and removing rookie RJ Harvey from the kick return game. Safety JL Skinner burst up the middle for a blocked punt against the Raiders in Week 10, and their unit was off and running from there. Marvin Mims Jr returned a punt for a touchdown late in the season in Las Vegas, putting a cherry on top of the work done by Rizzi. At the season's end, coverage man Devon Key was awarded an All-Pro honor.
Heading into the back-half of the initial free agency rush, the Broncos finally made their first free agent signing, and it should help Rizzi's unit a ton. The Broncos are solidifying their special teams group, giving hope that they will finally take it as seriously as possible next year.
The Denver Broncos are making sure their special teams play is a strength in 2026
The Broncos are bringing back all of their starters on their special teams unit, including kicker Wil Lutz, who is fresh off arguably the most clutch season any Broncos kicker has ever had. The Broncos rewarded their captain with a nice, new, three-year contract to keep Sean Payton's kicker in town. He's taken to kicking in altitude incredibly well, and has been one of football's most accurate.
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw was the only punter drafted last year and was an immediate weapon for the Broncos in the field position game. Returner Marvin Mims scored his first career return touchdown, and both return units did a good job controlling field position. Their main issue was return coverage, but Key's breakout and the reconfiguring of certain personnel unlocked a much stronger unit.
The Broncos also recently signed former Cincinnati Bengals special teams ace and backup safety, Tycen Anderson. Anderson isn't a household name, but he is flat-out excellent on special teams, proving that the coaching staff is serious about ensuring this unit is in a good spot for 2026.
Special teams have been an issue in Denver for a while now, and the end of last season showed that the unit could finally be turning a corner. Management in Denver appears to agree with that assessment, and they’re actually taking the steps needed to make sure they build on this growth for next year. It’s been a long time since the Broncos had a full season of competent special teams play, but 2026 could be the end of that.