Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Oops, the Broncos did it again! This time, it was at the hands of the Ravens, a 10-9 back-breaker.
Broncos Country, let’s hide. For 59 minutes and 31 seconds, the Denver Broncos were in position to beat the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. In a matter of seconds, Denver found yet another way to lose. We take a look at the studs and duds from the Broncos’ ninth loss of the season.
A few standouts, but a mostly underwhelming performance for the Broncos in Week 11.
The Denver Broncos found yet another way to lose a game this season, this time dropping their second straight against the Las Vegas Raiders. We examine five studs and duds from the loss.
“That was obviously a very outrageous joke — because a punter had 10 punts,” Eli said. “Nothing against Russell. He’s going to do great.”
The Denver Broncos’ defense and special teams units led the team to an 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3.
After the game, Broncos punter Corliss Waitman was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following a 10-punt performance that featured six punts downed inside the 20-yard line and two punts downed inside the five-yard line.
During the “ManningCast” broadcast of Monday Night Football earlier this week, Eli Manning praised Waitman by taking a sarcastic jab at quarterback Russell Wilson, who’s off to a slow start in Denver.
“They should have paid that punter $235 million instead of Russell,” Eli joked during the broadcast.
After Eli’s quip went viral, the former quarterback later clarified that he didn’t mean for the joke to be taken as hard-hitting critical analysis.
“I don’t think we’re trying to be critical,” Eli said, via Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports.com. “I think we always try to support the guys that are in the game. I think sometimes, ‘Hey, it’s live TV.’ I never try to take a real shot at somebody. I think that was obviously a very outrageous joke — because a punter had 10 punts. Nothing against Russell. He’s going to do great.”
The Broncos are 2-1 through three weeks but the team’s offense has been largely underwhelming with Wilson leading the charge. The veteran quarterback has completed 59.4% of his passes for 743 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He’s also been sacked nine times.
Wilson will aim to turn things around when Denver faces off against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. Eli, meanwhile, will call eight more MNF games with his brother, Peyton, on ESPN2 this season.
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Corliss Waitman played a key role in the Broncos’ win over the 49ers in Week 3.
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Denver Broncos punter Corliss Waitman was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday, the NFL announced.
Waitman, 27, punted 10 times for 476 yards in an 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 3. In a game in which field position was crucial, Waitman had a franchise-record six punts downed inside the 20-yard line and two punts downed inside the five-yard line. He also had no touchbacks.
After one of Waitman’s punts pinned the 49ers deep in their own territory, Denver’s defense forced a safety that gave the Broncos two points. That safety ultimately decided the game as Denver went on to win by one point.
So while punting isn’t a flashy job, one could make an argument that Waitman’s leg won the game for the Broncos in Week 3. At the very least, he was a key part of the victory, and the NFL has now recognized that by naming him one of the conference players of the week.
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Despite the ugly score, the Broncos had multiple studs in their 11-10 win over the 49ers.
After being consensus underdogs at home to the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos pulled out an 11-10 slugfest win in Week 3. Broncos Wire examines five studs and duds from the game.
George Paton said money had “nothing to do” with the Broncos’ decision to keep Corliss Waitman over Sam Martin.
The Denver Broncos had two players competing at punter this summer: Sam Martin (a veteran, expensive option) and Corliss Waitman (a younger, cheaper option).
The Broncos ultimately chose the left-footed Waitman over the right-footed Martin. When the team cut Martin on Tuesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the move was made after Martin indicated he would not take a pay cut.
During his post-cuts press conference on Tuesday, general manager George Paton said the decision was not money-motivated.
“It had nothing to do with it,” Paton said. “We picked the best punter for us, Corliss. The punter with the most upside, biggest leg, and money had nothing to do with it.”
Paton said he wished Martin nothing but the best, but Waitman’s powerful left foot was a better option. Paton was impressed with Waitman’s hangtime and direction punting this summer, and his left-footed kicks could give some returners trouble given that most teams have right-footed punters.
Whether the decision was money-motivated or not, the Broncos did save $2.25 million in salary cap space when they cut Martin.
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The Broncos want to acquire more picks for the 2023 NFL draft. Here are eight players they might consider trading during roster cuts.
Right now, the Denver Broncos only have five picks for the 2023 NFL draft, and general manager George Paton has said the team plans to acquire more.
A great way to collect some extra late-round picks would be by trading players at crowded positions ahead of roster cuts this week.
Here’s a quick look at eight players the Broncos might consider trading in the coming days.
Good news for the Broncos: Sam Martin’s ankle injury does not seem to be serious.
Denver Broncos punter Sam Martin suffered an ankle injury during pre-game warmups before a preseason showdown with the Buffalo Bills over the weekend and he was held out as a precaution.
Fortunately, the injury does not appear to be serious. Martin is expected to return to action when Denver faces the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason finale on Saturday.
“We expect him to punt this weekend,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said before Monday’s practice.
Martin rolled his ankle and could have tried to play through it during a regular-season game, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
Broncos special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes said last week that Martin and Corliss Waitman are still competing for the punter job.
“They know how important it is for both of them to get the ball to the numbers and outside of the numbers,” Stukes said on Aug. 18. “They know how important it is [with] hangtime. They know how important it is for us, as far as our coverage, what they need to do. The evaluation process is still ongoing.”
Martin, 33, is entering his 10th season in the NFL. Waitman, 27, is entering his third year in the league.
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Cornerback Essang Bassey and punter Corliss Waitman have been added to the Broncos’ 90-man offseason roster.
The Denver Broncos have been assigned cornerback Essang Bassey and punter Corliss Waitman off the NFL’s waiver wire, the team announced Monday.
Bassey (5-10, 190 pounds) started his career in Denver after joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest in 2020. He had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Chargers last season before being waived in January.
Waitman (6-2, 210 pounds) signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a college free agent out of South Alabama in 2019. He went on to spend time with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots before returning to the Steelers last year, appearing in two games. Waitman will presumably compete with Sam Martin at punter this offseason.
Because the two waiver claims happened during the playoffs (Bassey on Jan. 10 and Waitman on Jan. 17), the two moves could not become official until after the season completed. The season wrapped up Sunday when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Bassey and Waitman are now official members of the 90-man offseason roster. They will report for offseason workouts in early April.
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Raiders sign punter Corliss Waitman with unique story
On the eve of veterans to report to training camp, the Raiders are swapping out some legs. They added former undrafted punter Corliss Waitman and in a corresponding move waived former practice squad kicker Dominik Eberle.
Waitman is an interesting individual. His family is from the South American country of Suriname. His father Jose played pro basketball overseas. So, Corliss was born in Belgium. When Corliss was young, his father signed with a team in the Netherlands, so that’s where Corliss spent his childhood.
At 15, Corliss moved to 15 with his family where he switched from soccer to football as a punter and attended his father’s alma mater at South Alabama. Last year Waitman was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He was released in May of this year.
Oh, and he’s left-footed.
That’s all unique enough. But to top it off, Waitman is a black man. Which we know is rare for punters or kickers in the NFL. The Raiders had Marquette King at punter for a few years and he is still one of just a handful of black punters in the history of the NFL.
It doesn’t seem like it should be so rare, but it just is. And it makes Waitman that much more unique. Along with all the other details of his life’s journey.
As for Eberle, he too went undrafted in 2020, signing on with the Raiders and spending all of last season on the practice squad.
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