Broncos Training Camp powered by Ford is mere weeks away, and that means it's time to take a position-by-position look at the Broncos' roster.
The categories are refreshed and a little different this season, but we're still going to take a close look at each position group that's set to take the field in late July.
We continue with the special teams unit, which features several new faces entering 2025.
TOP STORYLINE
What do the Broncos' special teams look like under new Special Teams Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach Darren Rizzi?
The Broncos' special teams unit features new leadership, as one of the most respected special teams coaches in the game in Darren Rizzi has taken the helm.
With more than 30 years of experience, Rizzi arrives in Denver after most recently serving as New Orleans' special teams coordinator and interim head coach. Across Rick Gosselin's last five rankings of the league's special teams units, Rizzi's group earned a top-five finish on four occasions — and his unit ranked in the top half of the league in all but one of his seasons as a coordinator.
Rizzi worked with Head Coach Sean Payton in New Orleans for three seasons, and Payton spoke highly of the addition to Denver's coaching staff.
"He's doing great," Payton said in June. "'Rizz' has coached in this league. He's a pro. I would say one of the things — and these guys know it from me — I value compatibility. It's as important as coaching ability. I don't want problems. I don't want headaches. We manage a team. I don't want to manage a coaching staff. It's important there's a cohesiveness amongst those guys. Darren has been exceptional when we had him in New Orleans."
As Rizzi looks to implement his style in Denver, he's emphasized the importance of accountability and each player fulfilling his responsibility.
"Our biggest thing [is] we break every drill, break every meeting with the chant, '1/11,'" Rizzi said in June. "That's really just an accountability thing. I think the biggest challenge for me as the Special Teams Coordinator here with the Broncos this year is the offense has been installed for a couple years, the defense has been installed for a couple years. We're going to change the scheme around a little bit. Obviously, every coordinator has their own nuances and whatnot, techniques, fundamentals. So that's been the challenge for us here this spring is just kind of implementing all of our schemes, all of our fundamentals, the teaching part, so when we get back to training camp we have a really good foundation. It goes back to accountability. We're probably a little bit behind in terms of install in relation to the offense and defense, naturally, so we have to get caught up a little bit so when we hit training camp, we hit the ground running. Our players have been great, both the veterans and the young guys really just catching on. You guys see the drills going on out here. We have great, great leadership in the group, and I really like the core that we have coming back."
Special teams can often serve as the deciding factor in close games, and the Broncos will continue to look to build the edge in that phase of the game when training camp begins.
PLAYER TO WATCH
P Jeremy Crawshaw
The Broncos drafted a punter for the first time since 2016, as they selected Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Australian was the lone punter drafted in 2025, and he averaged 46.4 yards per punt in his career for the Gators. A second-team All-SEC player in 2023, Crawshaw impressed the Broncos in the lead-up to the draft.
"We feel like he can do everything: punt for distance, directionally, controlled hang, really good holder, good teammate," General Manager George Paton said after the draft. "We feel really strong about him."
Crawshaw is the only punter on Denver's roster entering training camp, and he'll aim to build off a strong offseason as he gets both practice and preseason reps.
"He is as talented as a punting prospect as I've ever had," Rizzi said. "Obviously, one of the reasons we drafted him and felt very confident in that. He's off to a good start. The thing with specialists — punter, kicker, snapper, returner — is consistency and having the ability to go out there and do it time and time again. There's no doubt that talent-wise, he's certainly there."
STAT TO KNOW
91.2%
Kicker Wil Lutz posted the second-most accurate season of his career, as he made 91.2 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2024. The team captain drilled 31-of-34 attempts, with two of the misses coming from at least 50 yards. Lutz also did not miss an extra point in 2024, as he made all 46 of his tries.
Lutz twice earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors last year, and he tied the Broncos' franchise record for the most made field goals in a season.
As Lutz enters his third season with the Broncos, he certainly qualifies as a weapon for Denver's offense.
… AND ONE MORE THING
Marvin Mims Jr. has earned All-Pro honors as a returner in each of his first two seasons, and it's possible he could earn the honor as a kick returner again in 2025 after a lack of opportunities last season. In 2024, Mims — who was a second-team All-Pro kick returner as a rookie — averaged an impressive 27.7 yards per kick return but only had the chance to return seven kicks.
In 2025, with a rules change pushing the ball out to the 35-yard line after a kickoff, Mims may finally get more chances to make explosive plays.
"He's a player that I've always admired," Rizzi said. "… I don't know if this kickoff return is getting as much publicity as it should. I think it's really going to change the game for the entire league this year. We're going to see a dramatic increase in returns. … This year, the analytics are going to tell you to put the ball in play, so I think he'll get more opportunities. I think the guy that's back there with him is going to get a lot of opportunities because I'm sure they'll try to play keep-away from him as well. He's been a great leader with our younger guys, and I'm really excited to work with him during the season."
Mims changed the tenor of several games last seasons with punt returns. If he can do the same in the kick-return game, he'll continue to prove himself as a dynamic and critical player for the Broncos.
