Broncos coach Sean Payton traded a seventh-round draft pick to the Saints for Wil Lutz at the end of the preseason, confident that Lutz would kick well for him in Denver as he had in New Orleans. In Week One, that didn’t happen.
Lutz missed an extra point and a field goal in Sunday’s 17-16 loss to the Raiders, but Payton said afterward that he’s confident it was just a blip.
“I was surprised a little bit [by] his first kick,” Payton said, via SI.com. “He’ll bounce back. He’s had a good two weeks with us, hasn’t had any issues. We attempted the longer field goal—a 55-yard field goal. That one looked pretty close. That too, I think was missed right, though, so we’ll work to get that cleaned up.”
The Broncos cut three kickers during the offseason, first Brandon McManus, then Elliott Fry and then Brett Maher, before acquiring Lutz for the job. Payton is confident he got the right man for the job in Lutz, even if it didn’t look like it on Sunday.
