Jeremy Crawshaw

Jeremy Crawshaw has made Denver’s initial 53-man roster, ending the most consequential phase of the Broncos’ unusually extended evaluation of the Australian punter. The roster spot gives him the clearest route yet to open the regular season as the club’s established option at the position.

The decision is now official

Jeremy Crawshaw is listed as Denver’s punter on the Broncos’ initial 53-man roster announced on Sunday, August 30. The club carried only two specialists — kicker Wil Lutz and Crawshaw — while leaving long snapper Mitchell Fraboni off the initial group. (denverbroncos.com)

That is the decisive outcome from a position that had attracted more scrutiny than usual during the preseason. Crawshaw was not merely retained as a developmental extra: Denver’s published roster identifies him as the only punter in the squad, and the NFL’s 2026 Broncos roster also lists him at No. 16. (denverbroncos.com)

Why the roster construction matters

The significance is less about the number 53 than about role clarity. Denver’s initial roster has no second punter listed, so Crawshaw enters the regular-season build as the team’s designated option rather than as one half of an unresolved competition. That does not make the job permanently immune from change — NFL rosters remain fluid after cutdown day — but it removes the immediate threat of being displaced before Week 1. (denverbroncos.com)

The absence of a long snapper is also notable. Denver’s official transaction report says the club released Mitchell Fraboni while finalising the roster, meaning the specialists group was prioritised around the kicker and punter before subsequent roster management. It is not evidence that every operational detail is settled, but it does show Crawshaw was included in the club’s initial 53-man calculation rather than squeezed out to preserve another specialist spot. (denverbroncos.com)

From rookie production to expected responsibility

Crawshaw’s first NFL season supplied a credible statistical base for the decision. Denver’s player profile records 75 punts in 2025, an average of 47.64 yards, a long of 76 yards and 30 punts inside the 20-yard line. The raw average explains why the Broncos have continued to invest in his leg strength; the inside-20 total is more relevant to his expected role, because field-position value depends on where the punt finishes, not simply how far it travels. (denverbroncos.com)

The Broncos’ profile also notes that Crawshaw was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team after finishing with the highest yards-per-punt average among the three rookie punters that season. That recognition does not settle questions about consistency, placement or protection, but it gives Denver a meaningful performance reason to prefer continuity over another late competition. (denverbroncos.com)

The next test is no longer selection

Crawshaw’s development now moves into a different phase. The immediate question was whether Denver would commit a roster place to him after a summer in which the position remained under examination. The answer is yes. The next questions are functional: whether he can translate his power into repeatable field-position gains, how he handles pressure situations and whether the Broncos’ coverage and protection units can support that production.

Denver’s official announcement remains careful to call the list an initial 53-man roster, with waiver claims, practice-squad formation and further transactions still to come. Crawshaw therefore has a roster foothold, not a lifetime guarantee. But on August 31, 2026, the evidence is clear enough to describe him as the Broncos’ established punter entering the regular-season preparation window — a materially stronger position than the uncertainty that defined his recent evaluation. (denverbroncos.com)

SourcesFirst look at the Broncos' 2026 initial 53-man rosterJeremy CrawshawBroncos make series of roster moves to reach 53-player roster limitFirst look at the Broncos’ 2026 initial 53-man rosterBroncos make series of roster moves to reach 53-player roster limitJeremy Crawshaw — Denver Broncos player profileDenver Broncos 2026 roster — NFL.com

Jeremy Crawshaw remains on Denver’s roster as the Broncos approach Sunday’s 53-man deadline, but the Australian punter’s position is not quite as simple as an ordinary cutdown decision.

The roster still carries Crawshaw — with an important asterisk

Jeremy Crawshaw remains listed by the Denver Broncos as a punter on August 30, the day every NFL team must reduce its Active/Inactive List to a maximum of 53 players. The league deadline is 4pm New York time, or 2pm in Denver. (nfl.com)

That makes Sunday a legitimate checkpoint for Crawshaw, but not necessarily a clean verdict on whether Denver has committed to him as its regular-season punter. The Broncos’ official roster currently places him in an exempt category, while NFL.com lists him as active on the team roster. (nfl.com)

The distinction matters because Denver has been carrying 91 players rather than the normal 90-man off-season limit. The extra place exists because of the international player exemption attached to Crawshaw, who was born in Australia. (denvergazette.com)

Denver’s decision is about the regular-season list, not just survival today

Crawshaw’s presence on the current roster therefore answers only part of the question. Denver can retain him through the cutdown process while using the exemption to preserve flexibility elsewhere, but the final 53-man roster must still show how the Broncos intend to handle the specialist position for the opening weeks of the season.

The key outcome is whether Crawshaw occupies one of the 53 active-list places, rather than simply remaining visible on the wider roster before the deadline. If he does, the Broncos will have converted an unusual roster mechanism into a clear regular-season decision: the Australian punter is their chosen option alongside kicker Wil Lutz and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni.

If he does not, his current listing will have been a useful but temporary protection during the final evaluation window. That would not automatically end his Denver pathway, with waived players unable to clear the process until Monday and practice-squad construction following afterwards. Denver coach Sean Payton has also indicated the club will delay Monday’s practice to allow time for those moves. (denvergazette.com)

The preseason question has narrowed

This is a different test from Crawshaw’s earlier preseason competition. The immediate issue is no longer whether Denver can carry him while evaluating the rest of the roster; the club has already used the exemption to do precisely that. Sunday asks whether the Broncos now regard the punting job as settled enough to spend a standard roster place on him.

That is a meaningful shift for a second-year Australian specialist. Crawshaw has reached the final cutdown day with his roster status intact, but the exemption means the most important part of the decision is hidden behind the listing. His position will be confirmed only when Denver’s 53-man structure is published and the exempt designation no longer does the explanatory work.

For Crawshaw, then, the final checkpoint is less a dramatic last-minute audition than an administrative reveal. Denver’s current roster says he remains in the picture. The 53-man configuration will say whether the Broncos are prepared to make that picture part of their regular-season plan.

SourcesDenver Broncos 2026 Player Roster | NFL.comBroncos cut at least 10 players as trimming begins to get down to 53-man roster - Denver GazetteDenver Broncos 2026 player rosterDenver Broncos 2026 roster — NFL.com2026–27 NFL important datesBroncos cut at least 10 players as trimming begins to get down to 53-man rosterBroncos roster cuts tracker

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.

SourcesNFL Preseason Week 2 Schedule 2026: Games, Times, Matchups & TicketsDenver Broncos 2026 Player Roster | NFL.comGame preview: Broncos' starters to see action, rookies poised for debut vs. FalconsP Jeremy Crawshaw named to PFWA All-Rookie teamDenver Broncos | Depth ChartDenver Broncos 2026 Depth ChartDenver Broncos’ 2026 preseason schedule finalizedP Jeremy Crawshaw named to PFWA All-Rookie teamDenver Broncos 2026 Player RosterGame preview: Broncos’ starters to see action, rookies poised for debut vs. Falcons