Broncos Cut Two Specialists from Offseason Roster

The Denver Broncos released a pair of specialists -- punter Matt Haack and long snapper Zach Triner -- at the start of rookie minicamp, the team announced Friday.

Haack was signed by the Broncos on March 19, ostensibly to replace former punter Riley Dixon, who defected to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this offseason. Haack, an eighth-year veteran, spent his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins before a series of short-term stints with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Altogether the Arizona State product has appeared in 103 NFL games, averaging 44.7 yards per punt across 453 boots, 37.3 percent of which were downed inside the 20-yard line.

However, plans for Dixon's successor changed during last month's NFL Draft when Denver used a sixth-round pick on ex-Florida P Jeremy Crawshaw, who now appears cemented atop the depth chart with no further challenge.

“Potentially," Crawshaw told reporters Saturday, via The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. "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 was added in April presumably to compete with Broncos incumbent veteran LS Mitch Fraboni for the starting job. Undrafted in 2015, Triner has made 84 career appearances since entering the league, including six seasons with the Buccaneers during which he won a Super Bowl. The 34-year-old spent part of the 2024 campaign on the Dolphins' practice squad.

Fraboni, who's recovering from a minor back procedure, remains Denver's unquestioned deep-snapper for the 2025 campaign.

After cutting Haack and Triner, the Broncos were able to ink a batch of undrafted rookie free agents while staying under the NFL's 90-player roster limit. The list of UDFA 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.

“I think the first time it was a significant subject [was in] ’07," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of the undrafted group on Saturday. "[In New Orleans] we had drafted a running back I think in the fourth round out of Ohio State, and we had signed a free agent, [former Saints RB] 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. I think your locker room knows that. That’s just one example, but then three years later in the NFC Championship Game, Pierre also was a kick returner. It goes into overtime against the Vikings, and he brings one out to the 40 [-yard line], and on fourth-and-1 he converts. We win that game and go on to the Super Bowl, win a Super Bowl and I’m like, the significance of something that appeared to be a small decision two years prior, was very important. [Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach] Bill [Parcells] was big on that: Go by what we see. Then in those moments after the draft, we have all that data to feed them. We’re going to meet here in five minutes and talk about the tryout players versus the guys here. There are a couple that we want to discuss that I think have a chance to go into camp with us.”