Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton showed a lot of appreciation for second-year punter Jeremy Crawshaw in a conference call on Monday.
“I’ve been encouraged the last couple of weeks," Payton said when asked about Crawshaw. "I think that consistency is so important. I’m excited and fired up for how he’s played in the last two to three weeks. It’s obviously a big deal."
Crawshaw hasn't had it easy to this point; he came in as the only punter in the 2025 season, and his low point was arguably in November of last year, when he shanked three punts in a Thursday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Many were calling for Crawshaw to be cut.
Despite the performance in November, Payton stuck to his guns, and the seventh-round pick paid off the faith just a few months later. In January, Crawshaw unleashed a 55-yard punt in overtime of the Broncos' divisional playoff win to pin the Buffalo Bills inside the 5-yard line during the playoffs. The poor field position helped lead to the Josh Allen interception, and eventually, the win. Payton called it the "punt of the year" after the game. Crawshaw was awarded PFWA All-Rookie honors, and has gotten better as he has begun the 2026 season.
Crawshaw's strong play continued in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers, where he placed three of his five punts inside the 20.
"(The Chargers) had a good returner, someone that was quick and certainly was a threat," Payton said. "To watch him pin a team back, especially inside the five [-yard line], that’s a big deal.”
Crawshaw is in the top 10 for most punting statistics in 2026 thus far. He has punted 24 times (T6) for 1,173 yards (6), placing 12 of them inside the 20 (T2), with an average of 48.9 yards per punt (10) and a net average of 45.3 (6). He continues to help flip the field week in and week out,
Let's just hope he changes his TNF fortunes on what is projected to be a blustery night in Denver.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Sean Payton ‘encouraged’ and ‘fired up’ about second-year specialist