Filling Elam's Shoes

The Denver Post reports that 23-year-old kickoff specialist Matt Prater is the incumbent front runner for Jason Elam's former job. Prater joined Denver last year as a kickoff specialist after being dismissed by the Falcons. He is expected to have some competition for the job. Free agents John Carney and Olindo Mare are likely to compete. Mike Vanderjagt--in an attempt to resurrect his career--could also emerge as a competitor. Tennessee's Rob Bironas--fresh off a pro-bowl year--is a restricted free agent; however, Bironas was given a second round tender by Tennessee, which probably prices him out of the market. There is no question that Prater has a powerful leg: his 45.5% touchback percentage last year was twice that of the next best player in the NFL; however, in four career attempts, he's only made one field goal. In 2006 he showed both accuracy and range as a walk-on for the Detroit Lions but was unable to oust incumbent John Hansen to secure the job. Was Prater prematurely cut by the monomaniacal Bobby Petrino? Only time will tell.

Ultimately, I expect Prater to win the job. Even if his accuracy is a concern, Prater's leg on kickoffs is a distinctive competency on special teams in an era of game-breaking kick returners. Also, Prater is very young; his upside is huge when compared to more expensive options like John Carney or the corrosive prima donna Mike Vanderjagt.

While Elam will most certainly be missed, I commend Broncos management for making a shrewd management decision. When calculating Elam's true cost, most analysts have failed to site the implicit value of the extra roster slot garnered by his departure. I thought his contract offer was more than generous; when you consider the intrinsic value of the extra roster slot, he was arguably overcompensated at $2.33 million guaranteed.

Nevertheless, I'd like to thank Jason Elam for a great career in Denver. We have just parted with the greatest kicker in Broncos history--a distinction he'll likely carry for decades to come. Happy trails.