5 veterans who could end up being the Broncos' Week 1 kicker

The Broncos moved on from Brandon McManus this offseason, a bold but probably necessary move. McManus was going to count a bit too much against the salary cap and there were likely some behind-the-scenes reasons for that move as well.

The Broncos then signed Elliott Fry, a strange move, to say the least.

Sean Payton wanted to do away with everything related to the Broncos' special teams last season but bringing in Fry, a kicker with little regular-season experience despite playing for a high number of teams, does not feel like a winning move.

It is possible that Fry is just going to be a placeholder throughout training camp and the preseason while the Broncos wait to find a better option before the season starts. A better option could come in the form of another team cutting their kicker as part of getting down to a final 53-man roster, which could open the doors for the Broncos to swoop in.

The team could then cut Fry loose or even keep him around on the practice squad if he looks good enough this summer. All of the players on this list have a lot more experience kicking the ball in games that matter, however, and for that reason, should be considered if they become available.

Veteran kickers the Broncos could consider before Week 1: Dustin Hopkins, Los Angeles Chargers

Dustin Hopkins is a veteran who will be entering his 11th season in the league. He has spent the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Last season, he actually injured his hamstring in a game against the Broncos on Monday Night Football. Though he still made all four of his field-goal attempts in that game, he went injured reserve and didn't play again all season.

The Chargers brought in Cameron Dicker, a much younger kicker who was quite solid for the team. Dicker made all of his extra points and just missed one of his 20 field-goal attempts.

The two will battle it out in Los Angeles this summer but Dicker has a good chance of keeping that job. The Chargers would then likely waive Hopkins, making him available.

Payton has some familiarity with Hopkins as well as he spent a brief amount of time with the New Orleans Saints in 2014 and 2015 but was beaten out for the starting job.

Hopkins has made 84.8 percent of his career kicks.