No. 5 – Brandon McManus
We are not so far removed from a time when Brandon McManus was the most wasteful position on an NFL roster: Kickoff specialist.
Just 13 months ago, Denver waived McManus in favor of Connor Barth after McManus struggled on field goals through the first half of the season. He was re-signed almost immediately when Denver realized Barth couldn’t get the ball into the opposing end zone on kickoffs.
This season started well for McManus, missing only once through the first eight games. But in the past two weeks McManus has started to show cracks, going just 2-for-4 and dropping his field goal percentage below 90 percent on the year.
Physical injury is less of a concern for McManus as is the dreaded “mental” fatigue. Late in the season, with an offense that continues to struggle to put points on the board, Denver needs to scrap for every point it can get.
McManus needs to regain his early season confidence and fast. If he’s a no-show even once, it could cost the Broncos a playoff bye or worse.
