Broncos Release Two Specialists Ahead of Rookie Minicamp
The Denver Broncos parted ways with punter Matt Haack and long snapper Zach Triner at the beginning of rookie minicamp, the team announced on Friday.
Haack, who was signed on March 19 to replace former punter Riley Dixon (who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason), has spent his career bouncing between several teams. The 8-year veteran began his career with the Miami Dolphins, and has since had short stints with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Arizona State alum has played 103 NFL games, averaging 44.7 yards per punt on 453 attempts, with 37.3% of those punts being downed inside the 20-yard line.
However, the Broncos’ plans for a new punter shifted after selecting former Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw in the sixth round of last month’s NFL Draft. Crawshaw now appears to have a clear path to the starting role. “Potentially,” Crawshaw said when asked about securing the job. “But my job is not to worry about anything else outside of doing what I can for the team and helping the team win games by punting well.”
Triner, who was signed in April, was brought in to compete with Mitch Fraboni, Denver’s current long snapper. The 34-year-old Triner has played 84 career games, including six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he won a Super Bowl. He also spent part of the 2024 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad. Meanwhile, Fraboni, who is recovering from a minor back procedure, remains Denver’s established deep snapper for the 2025 season.
With Haack and Triner no longer on the roster, the Broncos were able to sign several undrafted rookie free agents while staying under the NFL’s 90-player roster limit. The list of new signings includes offensive linemen Xavier Truss, Clay Webb, Joe Michalski, and Marques Cox; linebackers Johnny Walker Jr., Karene Reid, and J.B. Brown; wide receivers Courtney Jackson, Joaquin Davis, and Jerjuan Newton; cornerbacks Kendall Bohler, Joshua Pickett, and Jaden Robinson; nose tackle Christian Dowell; and defensive lineman Kristian Williams.
Reflecting on the value of undrafted players, Broncos head coach Sean Payton shared a story from his time with the New Orleans Saints. “I think the first time it was a significant subject [was in] ’07,” Payton said. “[In New Orleans] we had drafted a running back in the fourth round out of Ohio State, and we had signed a free agent, Pierre Thomas, out of Illinois. We got to training camp, and there was a period of time that Pierre was playing better. I think there are two ways… He was playing better enough, where the players and most people knew. So we released the fourth-round pick and kept Pierre. That decision, which seemed small at the time, ended up being pivotal. Three years later, Pierre was a key player for us in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.”
Leave a Reply