Broncos New Coordinator Says Brandon McManus Release a 'Tough Call'

Last month, the Denver Broncos parted ways with kicker Brandon McManus — their longest-tenured player and the last member of the Super Bowl 50 championship squad. McManus landed on his feet, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Broncos signed Elliott Fry after trying out a few different kickers. 

Fast forward to last week when the Broncos held their mandatory minicamp, which punctuated the offseason training program, and we got to hear from new special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica on the subject of the McManus release. 

“Making that transaction was a tough call," Kotwica said on June 14. "I think there was a lot of thought going into that. He did a lot of great things here."

Declared a post-June 1 release, the McManus cut saved Denver $3.75 million against the salary cap, though it left behind $1.231 million in dead money. Kotwica was part of a New York Jets staff that worked McManus out as a Temple draft prospect back in the day. 

"As a matter of fact, I remember working him out at Temple back in the day outside of Philadelphia when I was with the Jets at that time," Kotwica said of McManus. "He’s done a lot of great things, but that’s part of the business. Transactions occur, and there will be more transactions. We wish him nothing but the best."

Outside of Fry, the Broncos have also flirted with former Tennessee Titans kicker Randy Bullock. Bullock came to Denver on a tryout basis, but even though Kotwica speaks as if the veteran kicker is in the fold, as of right now, he remains unsigned. 

"We’re excited about the guys we have in Elliott and Randy," Kotwica said last week.

Bullock has significantly more experience than Fry. Bullock is 33 years old and holds a career field-goal percentage of 83.4, while Fry has connected on 83.3% of his field-goal tries.

Bullock's experience includes kicking in 138 games dating back to 2012, while Fry has only been in the league since 2021 and has kicked in just three NFL games. Fry is the epitome of untested, which is why the Broncos are keeping a seat warm for Bullock. 

For now, though, Bullock is on the outside looking in. But Broncos head coach Sean Payton is no stranger to hosting kicking competitions that play out through training camp and preseason, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Bullock brought back for camp at the end of July. 

“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. He looked good today. Experience can help you, and like I said, we’ll see how it shakes out moving forward.”

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