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The Denver Broncos have reportedly made their first decision with roster cuts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Broncos will be releasing punter Sam Martin today after he refused a reduction in pay. That means the team will go with Corliss Waitman as their primary punter in 2022.
#Broncos P Sam Martin is being released today by Denver after indicating he would refuse any pay reduction. He was a top 5 punter statistically in 2021 and set Broncos all-time record for net punting last season. Will have interest.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2022
Denver will save nearly $2 million in cap space in the move. Before that, they had the second most cap space dedicated to special teams players. By going with Waitman, they will be middle of the pack in that regard.
Given how the competition was going in preseason, the move makes total sense. The gap between Martin and Waitman didn’t seem to be there. Despite being a top 5 punter in 2021, Martin wasn’t really separating himself in training camp.
One team likely to call Sam Martin immediately would be the Buffalo Bills who recently released their punter, Matt Araiza, due to some disturbing sexual assault allegations. He likely knows he can find a job and not take a pay cut, so the move is likely very mutual in that regard.
The Broncos roster now stands at 79. They will need to move down to 53 by 2 PM Mountain on Tuesday.
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