The Denver Broncos will be in the market for a new punter in 2025 after Riley Dixon turned down the Broncos to land with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Which punters are available on the open market?

Denver Broncos lose punter Riley Dixon to Bucs in NFL Free Agency

After spending the last two seasons in Denver, Riley Dixon is headed to warmer weather and no altitude as the next punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dixon was a key piece to Denver’s success on special teams the last two seasons but also saw some struggles with consistency down the stretch of the 2024 season.

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Dixon punted 77 times last season and averaged 46.7 yards per punt, according to Pro Football Reference. Several of his punts came in big moments that pinned the opposing team’s offenses inside their own five-yard line, which allowed the Broncos defense to force a few safeties and get stops that also flipped field position in favor of Denver’s offense.

Of his 77 punts, 33 of them were downed inside the opponent’s own 20-yard line, which was a career-high for him. He had five total touchbacks all season long, and his longest punt of the year was 65 yards.

With his departure and the Broncos having a brand new special teams coordinator in Darren Rizzi, they could look to the current free-agent market.

Free agent punters the Broncos could look into

There isn’t much youth available right now around the NFL in the punter market and the pickings for Denver are very slim.

Available free agents:

  • Sam Martin – Buffalo Bills – 35 years old.
  • Bryan Anger – Dallas Cowboys – 36 years old.
  • Johnny Hekker – Carolina Panthers – 35 years old.
  • Pat O’Donnell – San Francisco 49ers – 34 years old.
  • Michael Palardy – Arizona Cardinals – 32 years old.
  • Ryan Stonehouse – Tennessee Titans – 25 years old. (Restricted Free Agent)

There’s a chance the Broncos look at Hekker or O’Donnell primarily, but if Stonehouse suddenly became available (which is unlikely) he’d be the best option. It’s possible the Broncos could look into options with the UFL kicking off action at the end of the month and bring somebody in for training camp, or they could look at the NFL Draft.

Even if there’s a young prospect who stands out that’s coming out of college, I wouldn’t expect the Broncos to use any of their picks on a punter, not even a seventh-rounder. Unless they sign a proven punter before April, it wouldn’t surprise me if Denver has two punters on the roster to compete during training camp.