NFL Insider: Were Broncos smart to release Brandon McManus?

May 27—In his NFL Insider, Denver Gazette beat writer Chris Tomasson takes you around the Broncos and the NFL:

Since 1971, the United States has had more presidents than the Broncos have had regular kickers.

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From Richard Nixon to Joe Biden, that's 10 presidents. From Jim Turner to Brandon McManus, that's seven regular Denver kickers.

It soon will be eight. The Broncos last Tuesday surprisingly released Brandon McManus. They don't now have a kicker on roster but are expected to add one soon.

McManus lasted nine seasons with Denver, about par for a Broncos kicker. Turner began the stability with a nine-season run from 1971-79 and was followed Fred Steinfort from 1979-81. Rich Karlis was the kicker from 1982-88, David Treadwell from 1989-92, Jason Elam from 1993-2007, Matt Prater from 2007-13 and McManus. That excludes six fill-in kickers who all played five games or less.

"The stability at the position has been unusual," Karlis told The Denver Gazette. "Some clubs go through kickers like crazy."

At issue now is whether the Broncos gave up too soon on McManus, who turns 32 in July. It's true he had a so-so season in 2022 and that he was on the books to make $3.65 million in 2023.

Then again, McManus was in line to be just the 14th-highest paid kicker in the NFL, and it's debatable that 13 kickers are better. The Jacksonville Jaguars showed what they thought about McManus by signing him two days after he was let go by Denver and dispatching Riley Patterson, who had a better year statistically in 2022.

"(McManus has) been a great kicker for (the Broncos)," Karlis said. "They've asked an awful lot of him, and especially asking him to kick extremely long field goals and expect him to deliver at a high percentage."

So was releasing McManus a risk?

"If they have a lot of close games and they don't have a guy to finish it off for them, then I'd say there will be discussion around it," Karlis said.

Denver coach Sean Payton confirmed that money was a factor in why McManus, whose 2023 salary was not guaranteed, was let go. That would seem to be an indication the Broncos won't spend a lot on their next kicker.

The Broncos on Thursday worked out three kickers. Long-range specialist Brett Maher, who had a strong 2022 regular season with Dallas, perhaps could be had for a discount price after he blew up in the playoffs and missed 5 of 6 extra points. Either of the other two guys to work out, Elliott Fry and Parker White, could be signed for a minimum deal.

But will the next Broncos kicker have the longevity of some of the guy from the past? Check back later in the decade to see if there are still more U.S. presidents since 1971 than regular Denver kickers.

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WHAT I'M THINKING

—I'm thinking of the first time I met legendary running back Jim Brown, who recently died at age 87. It was at a golf tournament in South Carolina in 1990 and he extended his hand and modestly said, "How you doing? Jim Brown." I ended up doing several stories on him in 2014 when I called to ask him about his Cleveland Browns 1964 championship ring being up for auction. He then told me that was the first he had heard about it and the ring had been stolen in the late 1960s. It became a major story, and Brown later did get his ring back.

—Payton has watched plenty of film on quarterback Russell Wilson, but he'd seen plenty of him in person before coming to Denver. When Payton coached New Orleans, the Saints three times went against Wilson's Seattle Seahawks in the regular season, and he averaged 323 yards passing in those games and threw five touchdown passes. Interestingly, in the only playoff meeting between Wilson and Payton, Wilson was just 9 of 18 for 103 yards but the Seahawks won 23-15 and went on to win the Super Bowl in the 2013 season.

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—Gale Sayers' NFL record for averaging 30.6 yards per kickoff return seems pretty darn safe. Cordarrelle Patterson looked as if he might challenge it a few years ago when he got his average over 30, but the NFL began altering kickoff rules and he's down to 29.5. Now the NFL is allowing teams to advance the ball to the 25 with a fair catch outside of the end zone. Goodbye to exciting kickoff returns. But it won't be goodbye to Sayers' NFL record.

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WHAT I'M HEARING

—All former Heisman Trophy winners have a vote each year for the trophy. With that in mind, former Broncos running back Terrell Davis, a 2017 inductee, said it would be "nice" if members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame had some input on future enshrinees. His first recommendation would be Mike Shanahan, his former Broncos coach. "Mike needs to be in the Hall of Fame, no doubt about it," Davis said. "But there's no platform for us. We can say it in interviews."

—Broncos tackle Mike McGlinchey likes being Wilson's teammate much better than going against one his teams. When McClinchey played for San Francisco from 2018-22, he faced Wilson eight times with Seattle and once with Denver and the 49ers went 2-7. "For the longest time, I really couldn't stand Russell because of how many times he beat us," said McGlinchey, who now calls it "awesome" to play with him.

—One of Samaje Perine's favorite hobbies is working on cars. "When something breaks, I fix it," the Broncos running back said matter-of-factly. His latest passion has been working on a 2010 Camaro. "When the weather is nice, I like to cruise around in it," said Perine, who did not bring the car to Denver for offseason drills but will have plenty of time to drive it around in the Austin, Texas, area when he goes home between the mandatory minicamp in mid-June and the start of the training camp in late July.

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WHAT I'M SEEING

—The Broncos went through three practices to start organized team activities with no kicker on the roster. During Thursday's session, the long snapper Mitchell Fraboni lined up as if he was about to kick off. Instead, he faked the kick but everybody still went through with a kickoff return drill. If Denver doesn't sign a kicker by Tuesday's next OTA practice, perhaps Fraboni can try out his drop-kick skills.

—Thanks to new rules allowing players to do so, Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper is wearing No. 0. He's the first Denver player to don that number since fullback Johnny Olszewski in 1961, when the team was in the AFL. The NFL had banned players wearing 0 in 1973 unless they already had the number. Players still can't wear 00, a number once made famous by Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto.

—McGlinchey, listed at 6-foot-8, 315 pounds, is one big dude. Just ask Wilson. "When he walks into the building, you feel his presence," Wilson said. McGlinchey is the tallest player on the team. He's two inches taller than tight end Chris Manhertz, who was a college basketball center for Canisius.

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THE LISTS

—Perhaps the Broncos are looking for a kicker with more range than McManus, whose career long is a mere 61 yards. When it comes to the eight longest field goals in NFL history, two were made by former Broncos in Prater and Elam and another by Maher, who was recently in Denver for a workout:

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore, 66 yards, at Detroit, 2021

2. Matt Prater, Denver, 64 yards, vs. Tennessee, 2013

t3. Brett Maher, Dallas, 63 yards, vs. Philadelphia, 2019

t3. Graham Gano, Carolina, 63 yards, vs. New York Giants, 2018

t3. David Akers, San Francisco, 63 yards, at Green Bay, 2012

t3. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland, 63 yards, at Denver, 2011

t3. Jason Elam, Denver, 63 yards, vs. Jacksonville, 1998

t3. Tom Dempsey, New Orleans, 63 yards, vs. Detroit, 1970

—Legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway played Class A minor-league baseball in 1982 for the Oneota (N.Y.) Yankees of the New York-Penn League and hit .318. Five of his teammates eventually made the majors and here's how they rank:

1. Jim Deshaies. Starting pitcher who went 84-95 from, interestingly, 1984-95.

2. Dan Pasqua. Outfielder and first baseman who hit .244 with 117 homers from 1985-94.

3. Jim Corsi: Relief pitcher who went 22-24 with a 3.25 ERA for 10 seasons between 1988-99.

4. Orestes Destrade. Outfielder and first baseman who hit .241 with a 20-homer season from 1987-88 and 1993-94.

5. Tim Birtas. Starting and relief pitcher who went 14-14 from 1985-86 and 1988-90.

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