Sean Payton Backs Broncos' Rookie Punter Jeremy Crawshaw as Concerns Loom

Jeremy Crawshaw made the Denver Broncos' 53-man roster, but will he stick?

Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw (16), celebrates a field goal by place kicker Wil Lutz, center, against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos did something relatively rare in the NFL: drafting a punter this past spring. In the sixth round, the Broncos selected Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw, an Australian-born punter.

The fact that he entered the league as a draft punter has perhaps put a little bit more pressure on Crawshaw. But as someone who watched him punt for three days during Senior Bowl week this past January, I wasn't surprised at all when the Broncos spent a late-round draft pick on him. He was impressive, to say the least.

Unfortunately, what I witnessed during Senior Bowl practices hasn't translated to his time as a pro in Denver. At least, not consistently. And more troubling was his preseason body of work, where he averaged a measly 44.5 yards gross and a shockingly low 35.07 yards per punt net.

This lack of production with the lights on has generated some alarm within the local press and Broncos Country. Some even wondered whether the team might waive Crawshaw, at worst, or maybe bring in some competition.

It's a little late in the game to bring in competition, and with Crawshaw making the Broncos' initial 53-man roster out of training camp, it appears the team is committed to standing behind their rookie punter as the regular season rapidly approaches. As head coach Sean Payton said on Tuesday, following the Broncos' final roster cuts, the plan is to keep developing Crawshaw.

“Keep working with him and developing with him. That’s part of it," Payton said of Crawshaw. "I think we’re going to be happy with him and his ability."

Fans hope Payton is right and that this becomes a non-issue. The veteran head coach has noticed a pattern with Crawshaw: his first punt of a game tends to be the one everyone cringes over. Then, he kind of finds his footing, pardon the pun.

"It seems to always be that first punt. So we’re going to create some situations where right in the middle of a practice, we’ll have a punt before we get to a punt period," Payton said. "The reality of it is, you get an at-bat. You don’t get four at-bats, five at-bats. So, trying to create those singular events for him, I think, will help, too.”

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In the NFL, every punt carries tectonic stakes. A punter with staying power in the league understands that consistency is key, and earns a team's trust and support. His leg power and even his accuracy inside the 10-yard line aren't in question. It's doing it well every single "at-bat."

As it stands, the Broncos obviously support their sixth-round pick, but do they trust him? I can't answer that, but the implication of him making the roster says that the Broncos are willing to give trust a try.

Hopefully, it all pans out and Crawshaw finds a rhythm. New Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was very involved in the Crawshaw pick, and has also been adamant in his support of the former rugby player.

Punting was the Broncos' weak link on special teams last year with Riley Dixon, but it wasn't an abject liability. If the best Crawshaw can muster in the regular season is 35 net yards per punt, that will qualify as an abject liability, indeed.

Here's to hoping the Broncos' read on Crawshaw is accurate. But in the ultimate production-based business that is the NFL, the goodwill and support Crawshaw currently enjoys will only stretch so far if he's unable to produce in games.