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Since winning the long snapper job on the Denver Broncos in 2016, Casey Kreiter has been a steady and reliable player on special teams.
Name: Casey Kreiter
Position: Long snapper
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 250 lbs
Age: 27
Experience: 5th Season
College: Iowa
He signed his one-year exclusive rights tender in early April and it looked like he would be competing for his job after the team signed another long snapper in Christian Kuntz. However, after minicamp, Kuntz was waived leaving Kreiter fairly secure in his job heading into training camp.
The Good
A long snapper is best left unnoticed. If we never know he is even there then that means he’s being reliable and consistent. Kreiter has been exactly that during his three seasons with the Broncos starting in 26 of 32 games on special teams.
The Bad
He is getting expensive. His one-year tender will cost the Broncos $630,000 this season and when he becomes an restricted free agent in 2019, which means he could be back again for another season then. However, under Elway the long snapper position is one he has recycled fairly regularly once a player starts to cost too much. As good as Kreiter has been, he is also now the longest tenured long snappers since 2010. It would be cool to see him get an extension.
Editor’s Note: The original post incorrectly listed Kreiter as an unrestricted free agent, which was incorrect. The good news is that means we could see Kreiter’s tenure with the team extended beyond this season. Hat tip to Brandon McManus for calling this error out on Twitter.
Quotable
Back in March, Kreiter showed off his charity work by surprising patients at Children’s Hospital. Much goes into playing in the NFL, but this kind of stuff is probably the most important work that a player can do.
2018 Status
Casey Kreiter will be the starting long snapper for the Broncos in 2018. He has chemistry with Brandon McManus and will also snap for Marquette King on punt formations. With no other long snapper on the roster, it is unlikely any of this will change heading into this season.