Riley Dixon
Broncos Country freaked out when the team parted ways with veteran Britton Colquitt in favor of the rookie from Syracuse, and rightfully so; Dixon was miserable in the preseason.
And for a team relying on a dominating defense and a please-don’t-screw-this-up offense, it didn’t make much sense to part with one of the best punters in the NFL just so you could save a few million bucks.
But to Dixon’s credit, he’s actually been a pleasant surprise. In fact, he’s been better than Colquitt, who’s spent the season in Cleveland with the Browns.
Dixon: 65 punts; 45.9-yard average; 20 punts inside the 20; 6.5-yard average return
Colquitt: 62 punts; 45.4-yard average; 17 punts inside the 20; 8.0-yard average return
Dixon isn’t one of the game’s elite punters, but he’s been perfectly adequate, and given the crap he and Elway received early in the season, he deserves some kudos.
