On Tuesday, it was reported that the Denver Broncos would be releasing Brandon McManus, who was the last roster holdover from the Super Bowl 50 team. This might be slightly unexpected, but I am personally not surprised in the slightest.
A surprise: the Broncos informed kicker Brandon McManus, the last remaining member of Denver’s last Super Bowl team, and the man who has kicked for the team since 2014, that they are releasing him, per sources. There’s now an added veteran kicker for kicker-needy teams. pic.twitter.com/4ezFtqHXGH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 23, 2023
McManus, 32 this summer, has been with the Denver Broncos since the 2014 season. He had established himself as a mostly reliable kicker, having three seasons making at least 85% of his kicks.
Kicking in the NFL has been on a decline for years now, but McManus seems to always be reliable. The 2022 season was a much different story, though. McManus is being paid like one of the top kickers in the NFL, yet he made less than 80% of his kicks in 2022; 77.8% to be exact.
He also had a weird habit of voicing himself on Twitter in seemingly wrong situations. I think the fanbase seemed to mostly check out on McManus after this year, but he was not one of the Broncos' early season cuts, which made me think that Denver had planned on keeping him for another year.
However, that was not the case. He lasted into the end of May with the Denver Broncos. Now, the big question for the Broncos is who takes over the kicking duties for 2023 and beyond?
The Broncos did not draft a kicker, but there are plenty of options on the free agent market that Denver could pursue. During his career, McManus has made 223/274 kicks.
He's made 277/286 extra points and has played in 148 total games for the Denver Broncos. He's also got a career long of 61 yards, which he kicked in 2021.
Brandon McManus should be able to find a starting job somewhere else, and I think this is a clear case of the two sides needing a fresh start. I don't doubt that McManus will bounce back to be an average kicker again, but it won't be with the Denver Broncos.