Tag: Riley Dixon

Why the Broncos worked out a left-footed player this week

The Broncos worked out left-footed punter Michael Palardy on Wednesday before facing Pittsburgh’s Corliss Waitman on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos brought in a punter for a tryout on Wednesday, but Riley Dixon‘s job is not in jeopardy.

The Broncos hosted Michael Palardy, according to the NFL’s transaction wire (via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis). Palardy, 32, is left-footed, and that’s no coincidence.

After losing Cameron Johnston to a season-ending injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Denver punter Corliss Waitman, who is now set to play against the Broncos on Sunday.

Waitman is left-footed and, believe it or not, catching a punt from a lefty has a different spin than catching a punt from a right-footed punter. Dixon, Denver’s current punter, is right-footed, so he can’t simulate the kind of punts Waitman will deliver on Sunday afternoon.

So, presumably to give Marvin Mims and Tremon Smith practice reps fielding a left-footed punt, the Broncos gave Palardy a tryout on Wednesday. Assuming it went well, Palardy could also be considered as a fallback option down the road if Dixon is ever unavailable.

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Broncos name team captains, and rookie QB Bo Nix makes history

Bo Nix is the Broncos’ first rookie to be named a team captain since Hall of Fame RB Floyd Little in 1967.

The Denver Broncos have named their six team captains for the 2024 NFL season, coach Sean Payton announced Wednesday.

On offense, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, guard Quinn Meinerz and rookie quarterback Bo Nix got the nod. On defense, cornerback Pat Surtain and inside linebacker Alex Singleton were named captains. Kicker Wil Lutz will serve as the special teams captain. The captains were elected by teammates this week.

Nix makes history as the team’s first rookie team captain since Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little in 1967. This will also mark the first time Payton has had a rookie captain on his team.

Denver’s team captains last year were Sutton, quarterback Russell Wilson, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson and punter Riley Dixon. Wilson, Simmons and Jackson are no longer on the team.

Two years ago, the team’s captains were Wilson, Sutton, Simmons, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and kicker Brandon McManus. Of the team’s 2022 team captains, Sutton is the only one who remains on the team.

This fall will mark Sutton’s fourth straight season as a team captain.

The Broncos are preparing for a Week 1 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8. Denver is considered a 5.5-point road undergoing going into Sunday’s game in Seattle.

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Sean Payton says Broncos’ punter competition wasn’t very close

Trenton Gill averaged 48.6 net yards per punt in preseason, best in the NFL. Yet Riley Dixon won the job and it wasn’t really close.

The raw stats suggest Trenton Gill had a better preseason than Denver Broncos incumbent punter Riley Dixon this summer.

Gill and Dixon both got five punts in preseason. Gill averaged 53.6 yards per punt with a net average of 48.6 yards per punt (best in the NFL this summer). Dixon averaged 46.6 yards with a net average of 41.6.

Yet it was Dixon who made the 53-man roster.

“I don’t think [Gill] had the better numbers overall in the preseason,” Payton said when asked about the team’s decision. “I think Riley won that position. We’ve had a lot of battles. I don’t know that that one was that close.”

Hill showed off his powerful leg in preseason with a 73-yard long that improved his average, but he also had a 34-yard shank. Dixon was more consistent, and he presumably looked better in practice, right?

“All of it,” Payton said when asked what separated Dixon. “All of it.”

Perhaps its telling that waiver claims have processed and teams are filling up their practice squads and Gill is still available. Whether it was his hang time, the inconsistency, or something else, Gill’s overall summer was not as good as Dixon’s, even if the game numbers suggest otherwise.

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Riley Dixon wins punter competition; Broncos will cut Trenton Gill

The Broncos plan to cut Trenton Gill, so Riley Dixon has won the punter job in Denver.

The roster cuts have begun and the Denver Broncos have a winner in their punter competition.

Broncos incumbent Riley Dixon has won the starting job by default after the team notified Trenton Gill on Monday that he will be waived.

Dixon punted five times in preseason for 233 yards with an average of 46.6 yards per punt. Gill also got five punts and totaled 268 yards, an average of 53.6 yards per punt. Gill’s impressive average was boosted by a 73-yard long in the team’s preseason finale. Gill’s net average of 48.6 yards per punt ranked No. 1 in the NFL during preseason.

Despite having a better average, Gill gets the boot. After showing off his strong leg in preseason, Gill could get picked up by another club this week. Because the cut is not yet official, it’s still possible that Denver could look to trade Gill before Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.

After winning the punter job, Dixon will also serve as the Broncos’ holder this season and he is the emergency place kicker behind Wil Lutz.

Gill is one of five players who have been told they are being let go. We are tracking all of Denver’s roster cuts on Broncos Wire.

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12 hardest and most surprising cuts on Broncos’ projected 53-man roster

These were the hardest players to cut on our projected 53-man roster for the Broncos.

After wrapping up preseason on Sunday, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton must now trim the squad from 91 players down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon.

Before the cuts begin (likely later today), we put together one final 53-man roster prediction for the Broncos. It featured a dozen difficult decisions, and some of the players we cut might be surprising to fans in Denver.

At wide receiver, for example, Brandon Johnson was cut despite scoring a 46-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. On the defensive line, Jordan Jackson was cut after totaling two sacks on Sunday. Pass rusher Dondrea Tillman is also a cut candidate despite his standout performance in the preseason finale.

Linebacker Levelle Bailey’s 94-yard pick-six didn’t guarantee him a spot on the squad. Safety Keidron Smith’s three preseason takeaways weren’t enough for him to make it, either.

Such is life in the NFL.

12 hardest (projected) Broncos roster cuts

1. WR Brandon Johnson
2. RB Tyler Badie
3. RB Blake Watson
4. OL Nick Gargiulo
5. OL Sam Mustipher
6. OT Alex Palczewski
7. DL Jordan Jackson
8. DL Matt Henningsen
9. OLB Dondrea Tillman
10. ILB Levelle Bailey
11. DB Keidron Smith
12. P Riley Dixon

If they clear waivers, most of the above players would likely return on the practice squad. Our projected cuts are also just that — projections. Several of these players could end up making the 53-man roster. We’ll find out soon enough. All of Denver’s roster cuts will be tracked on Broncos Wire.

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5 takeaways from the Broncos’ preseason finale

The Broncos looked good in their preseason finale on Sunday. Here are five quick takeaways from the game.

The Denver Broncos wrapped up preseason with a 38-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Here are five quick takeaways from Denver’s preseason finale.

1. Dondrea Tillman impressed: The ex-UFL pass rusher finished the day with five tackles on defense — two behind the line of scrimmage — two pass breakups (one saved a touchdown) and a tackle on special teams to boot. If there’s not room for Tillman on the 53-man roster, he will undoubtedly be a top candidate for the practice squad.

2. Keidron Smith finds the ball: Smith grabbed an interception in each of the team’s first two preseason games, then he recovered a fumble on Sunday. The Broncos might not have room for five safeties on the active roster, but Smith is giving them a tough decision.

3. The punter competition is a toss-up: Riley Dixon is the incumbent veteran with a larger body of work, but Trenton Gill showed off his strong leg against the Cardinals. Both players got two punts on Sunday — Dixon averaged 45.5 per boot and Gill averaged 61.0 yards per boot (helped by a 73-yard long). Gill is younger and cheaper than Dixon, so he might have a legitimate chance to make the squad.

4. Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Samaje Perine were healthy scratches: The Broncos held out a host of players on Sunday, including nearly all of their starters. Usually, snaps in the fourth preseason are divvied up among bottom-of-the-roster players attempting to make the team. The fact that Humphrey and Perine were both inactive suggests either they are making the team or the Broncos plan to put them on the trade block and didn’t want to risk injury.

5. Three QBs will make the 53-man roster, unless…: After Sunday’s game, Broncos coach Sean Payton essentially confirmed that Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson will all make the active roster. That settles that. Unless it’s an elaborate scheme by Payton in an effort to trade Wilson. We’ll find out for sure when Denver sets a 53-man roster on Tuesday.

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15 Broncos players who could play for other teams in Week 1

Samaje Perine headlines this list of Broncos players who could end up playing for other teams in Week 1.

The Denver Broncos are set to play their final preseason game on Sunday, then they will have to make 38 roster moves to get down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon. Some players the Broncos cut could be picked up by other clubs, and Denver might attempt to make a trade or two as well.

Broncos coach Sean Payton has emphasized this summer that players aren’t just competing with players on Denver’s roster — they’re competing with players at their position across the league.

“You’re competing with 31 other teams at that [position],” Payton said earlier this month. “So it’s important that they are focused really on their job and what they’re doing. … They’re competing with all those players at their position around the league.”

So, which players on the Broncos’ roster could end up playing for other clubs in 2024? Here’s a quick list of players we could see landing elsewhere.

1. QB Jarrett Stidham
2. QB Zach Wilson
3. WR Brandon Johnson
4. WR Jalen Virgil
5. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
6. RB Samaje Perine
7. RB Blake Watson
8. C Sam Mustipher
9. DL Angelo Blackson
10. DL Matt Henningsen
11. OLB Thomas Incoom
12. ILB Levelle Bailey
13. CB Damarri Mathis
14. P Riley Dixon
15. P Trenton Gill

We will track all of Denver’s roster moves — including any potential trades — next week on Broncos Wire.

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5 Broncos players who could become cap casualties next week

These five veteran players could become cap casualties when the Broncos begin roster cuts next week.

After wrapping up preseason on Sunday, the Denver Broncos will turn their attention toward trimming the roster from 91 players down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday’s deadline.

Before the roster cuts begin next week, here’s a quick look at five veterans who could become cap casualties in 2024.

1. QB Jarrett Stidham: After naming Bo Nix their starting quarterback, the Broncos have to choose between Stidham and Zach Wilson as their QB2. Wilson is three years younger and cheaper than Stidham ($2.7 million compared to $7 million). If the Broncos release Stidham, the team would save $5,000,000.

2. RB Samaje Perine: Denver has a crowded backfield with several young, promising running backs. That could leave Perine as the odd man out. Perine will turn 29 next month the Broncos will save $3,000,000 if he’s cut.

3. CB Tremon Smith: Denver is also crowded at cornerback and the team could save $2,500,000 if Smith is released. Fortunately for Smith, he is a key special teams player, so he might be safe.

4. P Riley Dixon: Trenton Gill is five years younger than Dixon and he’s $1.05 million chapter. If the Broncos release Dixon, the team would save $1,735,000.

5. CB Damarri Mathis: If Smith does make the team, it might come at the expense of Mathis’ roster spot. Pat Surtain, Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss and Kris Abrams-Draine seem to be locks, and Levi Wallace is a steady veteran. Add in Smith and that’s six CBs. If Denver cuts Mathis, it would save $985,000.

We will track all of the team’s roster moves next week on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos roster series: No. 47, punter Trenton Gill

Broncos punter Trenton Gill is set to compete with incumbent Riley Dixon this summer.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at third-year punter Grenton Gill, No. 47.

Before the Broncos: Gill (6-4, 219 pounds) was picked by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft out of NC State. He handled punting duties in each of the last two seasons in Chicago, averaging 46.1 yards per boot. He had 38 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, 11 punts go for touchbacks and one punt blocked. His net yards per punt average with the Bears was 38.5. His career long is 76 yards. Chicago cut Gill in May after they used a fourth-round pick to draft punter Tory Taylor.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Gill this spring to provide competition for incumbent punter Riley Dixon. He’s set to earn $985,000 in 2024.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Toss up. Gill (25) is younger and cheaper than Dixon (30; $1,735,000), which might help his chances in the competition. Dixon averaged 46.3 yards per punt last season with a net average of 41.5. His career long is 71 yards. If the two punters post similar numbers this summer, the Broncos might go with the cheaper option.

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Broncos roster series: No. 9, punter Riley Dixon

Riley Dixon will have to fend off Trenton Gill if he wants to remain the Broncos’ punter in 2024.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at ninth-year punter Riley Dixon, No. 9 (he wore No. 19 last summer).

Before the Broncos: Dixon (6-4, 221 pounds) actually began his pro career in Denver after being picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Syracuse. He spent the first two years of his career in Denver before being traded to the New York Giants in 2018 in exchange for a late-round draft pick. 

Dixon averaged 45.2 yards per punt in four seasons with the Giants with a long of 71 yards. He then spent one season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, averaging 48.4 yards per boot with a long of 67 yards.

Broncos tenure: Dixon returned to Denver last spring, signing a two-year contract. Last season, Dixon averaged 46.3 yards per punt with a long of 68 yards. He also served as the team’s holder for field goals. 

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Toss up. The Broncos brought in Trenton Gill this spring to compete with Dixon during training camp. Gill is younger and cheaper, so Dixon won’t be a lock to make the team. Denver’s punter job appears to be up for grabs going into the summer. 

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