ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos released kicker Connor Barth on Wednesday to make room for newly signed guard Evan Mathis.
Barth's departure, at least for now, means Brandon McManus has won the team's hotly contested kicking job. The Broncos have spent much of the offseason with two kickers and two punters on the roster.
The goal, stated by coach Gary Kubiak and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, has been to have one kicker and one punter after the cut to 53 players, with one of those players handling kickoffs as well.
Last season, when McManus lost the kicking job in November and Barth was signed, the Broncos carried two kickers -- one for field goal attempts, one for kickoffs -- to go with one punter.
"We'd really like to keep two there and have one guy handle kickoffs and either punt or [attempt] field goals," Kubiak said previously. "We'd like that roster spot for something else."
The Broncos still have two punters on the roster -- Britton Colquitt and Spencer Lanning.
McManus and Barth had engaged in a close competition throughout the team's offseason program and into training camp. Each had some bouts of inconsistency along the way -- DeCamillis singled each out after one early training camp practice for some of the struggles -- but last week in a two-minute drill the two were highlights of practice.
To close out one drive, McManus pounded a 70-yard field goal through the uprights, a kick that cleared the crossbar with enough room that even the defense celebrated after the play. Barth followed with a 65-yard kick just minutes later.
McManus lost the job as the Broncos' place-kicker last year after a midseason slump that saw him miss three field goal attempts in a five-game span. He was released after missing a kick Nov. 23 in Miami, and Barth was signed.
Barth then made 15 of 16 attempts, including two games in which he hit five apiece, to close out the regular season.