Broncos re-sign Pro Bowl long snapper Casey Kreiter
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Broncos Pro Bowl long snapper Casey Kreiter signed a one-year, $1 million contract to stay in Denver on Thursday, the same day the team officially released strong safety Darian Stewart.
The fourth-year pro from Iowa was set to become a restricted free agent next week.
Kreiter became the first long snapper in franchise history to earn a Pro Bowl berth last season after he snapped 146 times (85 punts, 35 extra points, 25 field goals and a fake punt) without an unplayable delivery.
Kreiter has appeared in 42 games for the Broncos the last three seasons. An All-Big Ten Conference selection at Iowa, he joined the NFL as a college free agent with Dallas in 2014 and competed in the Cowboys' training camp in 2014-15 before signing with Denver in 2016.
Kreiter's signing came on the same day Stewart's release became official.
With cornerback Bradley Roby set to move on in free agency, only cornerback Chris Harris Jr. will remain from the famed "No-Fly Zone" secondary that was the backbone of Denver's Super Bowl season three years ago. The Broncos cut safety T.J. Ward in 2017 and traded cornerback Aqib Talib to the Rams last year.
With the Broncos going 11-21 over the last two seasons, Harris said, "every veteran is on a nonguaranteed deal." In addition to Stewart, linebacker Brandon Marshall has been informed he's not being retained, and the Broncos are also letting defensive tackle Domata Peko test the open market.
Stewart was slated to count $6.37 million against the cap in 2019. The ninth-year pro, who had two years left on his contract, had started 61 games for Denver since 2015, collecting 250 tackles, nine interceptions, 24 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
