Jeremy Crawshaw’s Denver standing gets a sharper test against Green Bay

For Jeremy Crawshaw, Denver’s second preseason game is less about winning a punting job than showing the Broncos that last season’s promise can be trusted again when the stakes become more immediate.

A different kind of pressure Jeremy Crawshaw does not need to turn Friday night against Green Bay into a highlight reel. He needs to make the Broncos feel comfortable handing him the football when the field tilts against them.

That is the quiet pressure attached to Denver’s second preseason game of 2026. The Broncos host the Packers at Empower Field on August 21, with the final preseason fixture against Minnesota still to come on August 28. The schedule gives Crawshaw another live opportunity before Denver’s roster decisions harden into their regular-season shape. (nfl.com)

The official depth chart is uncomplicated: Crawshaw is listed as Denver’s punter and holder, with no other punter shown behind him. The NFL roster also lists the Australian as an active second-year player. That is a strong indication of his current position, but not a guarantee that the evaluation is over. Preseason is where specialist reliability is tested in conditions that practice cannot fully reproduce. (nfl.com)

What Denver is really measuring The meaningful evidence against Green Bay will sit in the details. Can Crawshaw create useful field position when the Broncos’ offence stalls? Can he combine distance with hang time without giving the returner an inviting runway? Can he place the ball deliberately near the sideline or trust Denver’s coverage unit to defend a more aggressive punt?

Those questions matter more than a raw average. A 50-yard punt that becomes a return opportunity may be less valuable than a shorter kick that forces the Packers to begin a drive deep in their own territory. For a team with playoff expectations, specialist play is part of the infrastructure rather than an isolated statistic.

Denver’s own language around preseason football supports that interpretation. Ahead of the opener against Atlanta, coach Sean Payton described the games as important for evaluation and acclimation, stressing that every competitive repetition has value. The Broncos won that game 27-7, but the result did not settle every roster question; it simply created another set of observations to take into the next week. (denverbroncos.com)

From rookie promise to professional expectation Crawshaw’s case is strengthened by what he achieved in his first NFL season. The Broncos reported that he was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2025 All-Rookie team after averaging 47.6 yards per punt, ranking 15th in the league, and tying for third in punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Those figures describe a player who was already influencing field position, not merely surviving his introduction to professional football. (denverbroncos.com)

But a promising first season changes the nature of the challenge. Crawshaw is no longer being judged only as the Australian rookie learning the rhythms of the NFL. He is now being asked to repeat the qualities that earned Denver’s trust: a dependable operation, controlled trajectory and the ability to produce a useful answer when the offence has failed to move the chains.

That is also why the holder role matters. The Broncos’ depth chart lists Crawshaw in both punting and holding duties, tying his work to Wil Lutz’s kicking operation as well as to his own punts. Consistency is not confined to the ball travelling downfield; it is also about timing, placement and making the rest of the specialist unit feel invisible. (denverbroncos.com)

An Australian’s place in the Broncos’ next step For Australian fans, the appeal of Crawshaw’s opportunity lies in its restraint. There is no need to manufacture a dramatic duel where the available evidence shows him occupying the top punting spot. His meaningful contest is with the standard Denver set for a player who has already shown he belongs.

Against Green Bay, the task is to make the ordinary look repeatable. Clean operations. Conviction under pressure. Punts that help the defence rather than merely ending a possession. If Crawshaw can provide those things, he will leave the Broncos with something more valuable than one booming kick: confidence that his development is moving from promise into permanence.

The final preseason game will follow a week later, but Friday is the next serious checkpoint. For Crawshaw, it is another chance to show that his Australian journey in Denver is not being carried by novelty or momentum from 2025. It is being built, punt by punt, on trust.

Sources NFL Preseason Week 2 Schedule 2026: Games, Times, Matchups & Tickets Denver Broncos 2026 Player Roster | NFL.com Game preview: Broncos' starters to see action, rookies poised for debut vs. Falcons P Jeremy Crawshaw named to PFWA All-Rookie team Denver Broncos | Depth Chart Denver Broncos 2026 Depth Chart Denver Broncos’ 2026 preseason schedule finalized P Jeremy Crawshaw named to PFWA All-Rookie team Denver Broncos 2026 Player Roster Game preview: Broncos’ starters to see action, rookies poised for debut vs. Falcons