Amid all of the big moves by the Denver Broncos in free agency this week, one concern remains at punter.
The Broncos lost Riley Dixon to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Denver isn't after the three best free-agent punters out there, according to Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. Dixon averaged 45.9 yards per punt for his career, which started with the Broncos in 2016, and that leaves a big special-teams void in the process.
"Former Colorado State star punter Ryan Stonehouse is not expected to return to Colorado," Tomasson wrote. "The Broncos are looking for a punter after Riley Dixon agreed Tuesday to sign a two-year, $6 million deal with Tampa Bay."
"However, sources said Wednesday that Denver does not have interest in signing Stonehouse, Pat O'Donnell or Michael Palardy, considered the top three free agents still available," Tomasson continued.
Stonehouse had the local tie as Fort Collins is an hour from Denver, and his ability on the field would have added value amid a 41.9 yards per punt for his career. O'Donnell has a 45.1-yard career average, and Palardy has a 44.8-yard career average.
That doesn't mean all is lost for the Broncos in finding a quality punter this offseason. The Broncos could go the draft route with a late-round pick.
Punters that the Broncos could select in the draft include Alabama's James Burnip, Oklahoma's Luke Elzinga, Florida State's Alex Mastromanno, Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw, and South Carolina's Kai Kroeger.
Mastromannon had the best average of 49.3 yards per punt last season for second in the nation. Kroeger hit 47.8 yards per punt, Crawshaw averaged 45.7 yards, Burnip 45.4 yards, and Elzinga 44.8 yards.
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This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM.