Tag: Elliott Fry

3 running backs tried out for Broncos on Wednesday

The Broncos brought in RBs Ronald Awatt, Larry Rountree and Dwayne Washington for tryouts earlier this week. Washington got a one-year deal.

The Denver Broncos brought in three running backs for tryouts this week.

Ronald Awatt, Larry Rountree and Dwayne Washington tried out for the team on Wednesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

The Broncos ended up signing Washington (6-1, 223 pounds), an eighth-year veteran who played under Sean Payton with the Saints from 2018-2021. In addition to providing depth at running back, Washington also has experience as a returner.

Awatt (6-0, 205 pounds) is an undrafted rookie out of UTEP who spent time with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. He also worked out for the Ravens earlier this week before his visit to Denver.

Roundtree (5-10, 210 pounds) was picked by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Arkansas. He played in 16 games over the last two seasons, rushing 49 times for 106 yards and one touchdown.

Meanwhile, kicker Elliott Fry, who was waived/injured earlier this week, cleared waivers on Wednesday and reverted to the team’s injured reserve list. Unless the Broncos reach an injury settlement with Fry and release him, the kicker will spend the entire 2023 season on the team’s IR list.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton comments on cutting kicker Elliott Fry

“We’ll go day-to-day with where we’re at with the kickers,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the team’s kicker situation.

The Denver Broncos made a somewhat surprising roster move earlier this week when they cut kicker Elliott Fry.

Fry had been competing with Brett Maher for the team’s kicker job this summer and he was the only one who converted a field goal in the team’s preseason opener. Fry was waived with an injury designation, but Payton seemed to imply that the cut was not solely because of the injury.

“With Elliott, it was just a pull,” Payton said on Aug. 15. “It’s nothing significant. We’ll go day-to-day with where we’re at with the kickers.”

The injury not being significant seems to suggest that Denver released Fry for performance, not due to injury. Maher is now left as the only remaining kicker on the roster, but that doesn’t mean he has already won the job.

Maher will be “competing” against kickers on other teams who might become available after 53-man rosters are set later this month.

“I’ve said this to you guys before — Brett had a good day today — he’s competing,” Payton said. “He’s competing with himself because he’s got 31 other teams. There are probably seven teams that have a real kicking battle, so he’s competing with those guys that come out of those clubs. That doesn’t discount us, possibly, if we wanted to bring in another player.”

One kicker battle that’s worth monitoring is Wil Lutz vs. Blake Grupe with the New Orleans Saints. Whichever kicker does not end up making the Saints’ final roster could be a target for the Broncos.

For now, Maher is Denver’s guy, but he’ll be looking over his shoulder.

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Broncos cut kicker Elliott Fry, sign a long snapper

The Broncos cut kicker Elliott Fry (but Brett Maher hasn’t won the job just yet). Denver also signed long snapper Jack Landherr.

The Denver Broncos have waived kicker Elliott Fry with an injury designation, the team announced Tuesday.

Fry and veteran Brett Maher had been competing for the kicker job during training camp this summer. Maher is now the lone kicker on the roster, but Denver’s kicker situation is far from settled.

Fry actually had a better preseason debut than Maher last week. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Fry missed a 50-yard attempt before later converting a 55-yard field goal and converting an extra point attempt.

Maher missed a 47-yard field goal attempt and had a 52-yard attempt blocked. He also converted his one extra point attempt.

If Maher continues struggling in preseason, the Broncos consider other options at kicker. Our latest 53-man roster prediction for Denver did not have Maher or Fry making the team. Instead, the Broncos could claim a kicker off waivers once initial 53-man rosters are set and cuts have been made.

To fill Fry’s former spot on the roster, Denver signed long snapper Jack Landherr, who tried out for the team at rookie minicamp earlier this year. Landheer will provide competition to incumbent long snapper Mitchell Fraboni. The 90-man offseason roster is now full.

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Broncos’ kicker competition is off to a rough start

Broncos kickers went 1-of-4 on field goal attempts in the team’s preseason opener. Will Elliott Fry or Brett Maher make the Week 1 roster?

The Denver Broncos’ kicker competition is officially underway … and it’s not going well.

Broncos kickers Brett Maher and Elliott Fry had a shaky start in the team’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals last week.

Fry missed a 50-yard attempt before later converting a 55-yard field goal. Fry also went one-of-one on extra-point attempts.

Maher missed a 47-yard field goal attempt and had a 52-yard attempt blocked. He converted his one extra point attempt.

Overall, Denver’s two kickers went 1-of-4 on field goal attempts and 2-of-2 on extra point attempts. Certainly not a promising start. Given that he made a field goal, perhaps Fry has taken an early lead in the competition.

The team’s three missed field goals could have added nine points to a game that was ultimately lost by one point.

Things could change week-to-week, and there’s obviously no guarantee that Fry or Maher will be on the Week 1 roster. The Broncos will monitor the kicker market and it’s possible that Denver could claim a kicker off waivers from another team later this month.

The Broncos are seeking a new kicker after cutting Brandon McManus in May. McManus converted 77.8% percent of his field goal attempts last year, which ranks 29th in the league.

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3 takeaways from Broncos’ 18-17 loss to Cardinals

Broncos Country, do you agree with these takeaways?

The Denver Broncos suffered a last-minute loss at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game of 2023 on Friday evening. Here are three takeaways from the first action of 2023 for the Broncos.

Broncos lose to Cardinals 18-17 in preseason thriller

Third-string quarterback Ben DiNucci showed real promise on the go-ahead drive with 90 seconds left, but the Cardinals won in the end.

The Denver Broncos’ first preseason game under new head coach Sean Payton was a tough one, an 18-17 loss against the Arizona Cardinals on Friday evening.

Earlier in the week, Payton said that the Broncos’ offensive starters would go 15-18 plays. Instead, the offensive starters recorded 22 plays over four drives. Quarterback Russell Wilson eventually threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in the second quarter to make the game 7-0.

Denver’s starting defense did not allow any points in three drives, and fourth-year defensive back Essang Bassey intercepted Cardinals quarterback Clayton Tune on Arizona’s second drive of the night.

The Broncos kicking game was extremely rocky. Brett Maher missed a 47-yarder early in the game, as well as having a 52-yarder blocked in the third quarter. Maher did make the extra point after the Jeudy touchdown. Elliott Fry missed a 50-yarder in the second quarter, but made a 55-yarder to make the game 10-0 right before halftime.

The Cardinals fought back with 10 points in the second half, with a Matt Prater field goal after Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw an interception, and a 10-play drive resulting in a Tune touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Third-string quarterback Ben DiNucci gave Denver one more chance to win the game, with a valiant 10-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a Jaleel McLaughlin four-yard touchdown with 90 seconds left.

However, the Cardinals would not go down easy. Quarterback David Blough helped Arizona down the field, throwing an 18-yard touchdown to wide receiver Brian Cobbs. Arizona finished it off with a two-point conversion with two seconds left, taking a one-point lead.

Hopefully, this is not a harbinger of things to come, as the Broncos were 3-7 in one-score games in 2022.

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Broncos Wire podcast: Suspensions, Dalvin Cook, injuries and more

On the latest Broncos Wire podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath discuss whether or not Denver should try to sign RB Dalvin Cook. Listen in!

As the slowest part of the NFL offseason drags on, the Broncos Wire podcast has returned for a mid-summer catchup episode.

The Denver Broncos have cut and signed several players since our last episode, so I joined host Ryan O’Leary to discuss the big news items that have happened since we last talked, including running back Dalvin Cook becoming a free agent.

You can listen to episode No. 81 below:

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Our unedited notes for this week’s pod can be seen below. 

Eyioma Uwazurike suspended indefinitely for gambling 
  • Name: E-yoh-mah Ooh-WHA-zah-REE-kay (He’s fine with “Innie”)
  • Innie was a 4th-round pick last year and played in eight games. He was a rotational defensive lineman and would have had a chance to compete for a larger role this summer.
  • He will miss at least the entire 2023 season and can’t apply for reinstatement until next year.
  • The Broncos were already thin on the defensive line.
Injury update: Good news for Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick
  • Broncos put WR KJ Hamler and DL Mike Purcell on non-football injury list
  • Denver put OLB Baron Browning and WR Kendall Hinton on PUP list
  • Javonte Williams (ACL) and Tim Patrick (ACL) were NOT placed on an injury list, a sign that they’ve been cleared for the start of training camp.
Brandon McManus was cut in May
  • McManus, 31, ranked 29th among kickers in field goal percentage (77.8%) last season. He was set to have the sixth-highest cap hit among kickers in 2023. Denver saved $3.75 million in salary cap space by releasing him.
  • McManus will be remembered for going a perfect 10-of-10 on field goal attempts during the 2015 playoffs, including 3-of-3 in Super Bowl 50. He was the last remaining player from the Super Bowl roster and he ends up second on the team’s all-time scoring list (946 points), only trailing Jason Elam.
  • It’s sad to see team legends get cut, but it’s understandable that the Broncos wanted to save salary cap space after McManus’ disappointing 2022 season.
So what’s the plan at kicker now?
  • Elliott Fry was signed in May, then the team added vet Brett Maher this month.
  • Fry had a good season in the AAF but he has only appeared in three NFL games in his career. Maher went 29-of-32 on FGs last season but got the yips in the playoffs and went 1-6 on extra point attempts in two postseason games.
  • Sean Payton has shown little patience for poor kicker play in the past — he burned through nine different kickers in his first ten years with the Saints before landing on Wil Lutz. (Maher kicked for Payton in 2021.)
OLB Frank Clark was signed and OT Cam Fleming was re-signed 
  • Fleming started 15 games last season. He will now serve as the team’s top backup swing tackle behind Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey.
  • Clark spent the last four years with the Chiefs, totaling 23.5 sacks and winning two Super Bowls. He’s a big-game player with 13.5 sacks in 13 playoff starts, including 2.5 sacks in the playoffs last year.
  • In an ideal world, Clark, 30, would be an excellent rotational pass rusher. With all the injuries Denver has had at OLB, though, he might start a bunch of games this season.
  • Randy Gregory is currently healthy, but Baron Browning underwent offseason knee surgery and will begin training camp on the PUP list. If Browning misses time early in the season, Gregory and Clark will start at OLB.
Dalvin Cook was cut by Minnesota — should Denver sign him?
  • Cook, 27, was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2017 draft when George Paton was serving as Minnesota’s assistant GM and VP of player personnel.
  • George Payton likes to add RBs and Sean Payton has invested in the position in the past as well. If they can afford him, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos try to sign Cook., but reports have downplayed the possibility.
  • Denver has the fourth-best odds to sign Cook behind the Pats, Dolphins and Jets.
  • Of note: Cook is set to go to trial next year for domestic abuse allegations from 2021.
We will return later in the offseason with new podcast episodes as news pops up. If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Here are the Broncos’ punter and kicker ratings in ‘Madden NFL 24’

Based on their ratings, Broncos punter Riley Dixon is a better option for field goals in ‘Madden 24’ than kicker Elliott Fry.

EA Sports released player ratings for “Madden NFL 24” last week and the ratings are not kind to the Denver Broncos’ specialists.

Broncos kicker Elliott Fry has a low overall rating of 64. He actually has a high kick power rating of 90, but his kick accuracy is only 66.

Meanwhile, Denver punter Riley Dixon is rated 75 overall. He has a decent kick power rating of 93 and a kick accuracy rating of 79. By those metrics, Dixon would actually be a better option for field goals than Fry if playing with the Broncos in the video game.

Dixon’s overall rating is tied for 18th among punters in “Madden” this year. Fry has the second-worst ratings among kickers in the game, only ranking above Trey Wolff (63 overall) of the Tennessee Titans.

Elsewhere on special teams, the club’s long snapper, Mitchell Fraboni, is listed as a tight end in the video game with a terrible rating of 32 overall. “Madden” doesn’t include long snapper as a position so all of the NFL’s long snappers are listed as tight ends with terrible ratings.

To view all of the Broncos’ “Madden” ratings from 2022, click here.

Note: The Broncos are expected to sign kicker Brett Maher, but his one-year deal is not yet official.

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Broncos roster series: No. 39, K Elliott Fry

Elliott Fry spent time with ten NFL teams before landing with the Broncos. He’ll now hope to make Denver home in 2023.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at first-year kicker Elliott Fry, No. 39.

Before the Broncos: Fry (6-0, 170 pounds) played college football at South Carolina and went undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft. He got his first pro football opportunity with the Orlando Apollos of the AAF in 2019 and he was a perfect 14-of-14 on field goal attempts before that league went under.

Fry went on to have brief stints with 10 NFL teams from 2019-2023. He has spent time with the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals.

Fry has appeared in three regular-season games — one each with the Falcons, Bengals and Chiefs. In those three games he went 5-of-6 on field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards and 5-of-7 on extra point attempts.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Fry after they released Brandon McManus earlier this year. Fry will make his Bronco debut during preseason this summer.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: 50-50. Right now, Fry is the only kicker on Denver’s 90-man offseason roster, but that doesn’t guarantee he will be the team’s kicker in Week 1. The Broncos will continue monitoring the kicker market as other teams make roster cuts this summer.

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Ben Kotwica on Broncos’ kicker situation: ‘We’ll see how it shakes out’

Elliott Fry is the only kicker on the Broncos’ roster at the moment, but he’s not a lock to handle kicks in Week 1.

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After parting ways with Brandon McManus earlier this offseason, the Denver Broncos signed Elliott Fry to a one-year contract and they invited Randy Bullock to try out at minicamp.

Fry and Bullock both looked good at minicamp last week, but so far Fry remains the only kicker on the 90-man offseason roster.

“That [kicker] job is pretty straightforward. The ball either goes through or it doesn’t,” Broncos special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica said on June 14.

“What was really cool today was to see both guys rise up. We hit a handful of kicks, and all of them were made. Elliott made all his, and Randy made all his. We’ll see how it shakes out. Again, it’s a work in progress, but I’m excited about that opportunity for those guys.”

Fry has just three games of regular-season experience while Bullock has 138 games on his resume.

“He has a lot of experience — Houston for a handful of years and Tennessee,” Kotwica said of Bullock. “He’s over an 83 percent kicker during his time [in the NFL]. He looked good today. Experience can help you, and like I said, we’ll see how it shakes out moving forward.”

The Broncos have made it clear this offseason that while Fry is the only kicker currently on the roster, he is not locked in for the job. Denver will continue to monitor the kicker market and if Fry struggles, the team will turn elsewhere, either with Bullock or another option stepping in.

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