The Broncos enter the season with special teams that can tilt games, but there are still a few loose ends Denver has to clean up.
Wil Lutz sits at the center of the kicking picture after a year in which almost everything seemed to go right when the pressure was highest. He was rewarded with a lucrative extension, and the Broncos have every reason to feel good about what he delivered.
Still, the reality for any kicker is that the hot streak never lasts forever. Lutz knows it, the team knows it, and the key question now is when the misses show up and how costly they are.
Jeremy Crawshaw gave Denver plenty to like as a punter, especially early on. He was dropping opponents deep in their own territory with sharp sideline placement and looked like one of the better punters in the league.
The second half, though, brought a dip in those pinpoint results, and the big leg he flashed at Florida didn’t show up as often. There’s a clear next step there if he wants to move from good to truly elite.
The return game may be where the most uncertainty lives. Marvin Mims Jr. was one of the league’s best punt returners, but he didn’t bring the same value on kickoffs, and the Broncos, like plenty of other teams, never really solved the new kickoff format. That issue figures to stay on the front burner this year.
Mims’ place on the roster is also unsettled. He appears to be the odd man out in the receiver room, even though he has made it clear he wants to be part of the extension wave.
Denver is expected to hear trade interest in him during training camp, and if the Broncos move him, they’ll have to replace a reliable, explosive return threat. The same possibility could come back at the trade deadline, when finding someone with Mims’ impact becomes even harder.
In Other News...
Nathaniel Hackett Had Another Awkward Cardinals Camp Moment
Nathaniel Hackett is back in the spotlight again, this time as the Cardinals offensive coordinator during training camp and not for anything that would calm old nerves in Denver. The former Broncos coach, who later had stops with the Jets and Packers, was talking through Arizonas running back room when he singled out veteran James Conner as someone hes excited to see get on the field and show what he has.
The comment that really lingered, though, came when Hackett shifted to rookie Jeremiyah Love and described him as definitely a rookie. That lands a little differently in Arizona because Love was taken third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, a major investment in a player the Cardinals clearly expect to matter right away, even if camp is already reminding everyone that the learning curve can be real. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Fans Are Suddenly Watching Caleb Lohner Much More Closely
Caleb Lohner has become one of the more intriguing names in Broncos camp, mostly because the second-year tight end is no longer just the former basketball player trying to learn the position. Sean Payton has pointed to real development from Lohner since his rookie season, and after spending last year on the practice squad, he is finally getting the kind of look that can turn a developmental project into an actual roster conversation.
Lohner also enters training camp with a little catching up to do after missing part of the offseason while recovering from a procedure, but he is expected to be back in the mix when the competition heats up. The Broncos have some stability at tight end already, which makes the battle for the remaining spots a tricky one, but it also gives a player like Lohner a clear path if the progress Payton has seen carries over once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]