The Denver Broncos continue to evaluate every portion of their roster as they look to foster an environment that creates competition across the board. This also applies to the punter position as Riley Dixon prepares to have some during training camp in July.
Denver Broncos sign former Bears punter Trenton Gill
Training camp competitions are something that every NFL fan looks forward to when the end of July rolls around. While the Denver Broncos will have plenty of competition on offense and defense, they’ll also have competition for the starting punter job in 2024.
On Wednesday, the Broncos signed former Chicago Bears punter Trenton Gill to the roster. This means that Riley Dixon will have competition this summer for the starting job when the team opens up its season in September.
Dixon was consistently good for the Broncos last season, punting 79 times for an average of 46.3 yards per punt. Denver’s special teams coverage unit was one of the league’s best last season, leading to Dixon averaging 41.5 net yards per punt, according to Pro Football Reference.
His longest punt last season went for 68 yards, while six of his punts resulted in a touchback, and 27 of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line.
Gill, the competition for Dixon, averaged 46.1 yards per punt on 67 attempts. Chicago’s coverage unit wasn’t great, which ultimately resulted in Gill’s net yards per punt landing at 38.0. His long last season was 76 yards, while eight of his punts resulted in a touchback, and 18 of them bounced inside the 20-yard line.
Dixon is in the final year of the initial two-year deal he signed with the Broncos. He’s set to make $1.735M this season and carries a dead-cap hit of $300k if released.
Sean Payton wants to field the best overall team possible going into his second season as the team’s head coach. While Dixon was a bright spot for one of the NFL’s best special teams units last season, his spot isn’t guaranteed heading into training camp.