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Colquitt On Competing For The Broncos Punting Job: 'It's Personal'

DENVER (CBS4) - No job is safe in the NFL. Just ask Britton Colquitt.

Colquitt turned a strong performance in the Broncos victory in Super Bowl 50, kicking eight punts with a 45 yard net average. But that didn't stop the team from drafting a punter in April.

Britton Colquitt
Britton Colquitt (credit: CBS)

Colquitt is now competing with rookie Riley Dixon out of Syracuse in training camp for the punting duties.

"That's the just the way it is. I could have been bitter. I could have been upset and said 'After that Super Bowl?' But that's not what it's about, and that's not the way John Elway is -- he's a competitor. He wants everyone to compete and he wants to get the best out of everyone. I respect him for that because he knows that competition brings out the best," Colquitt said.

Riley Dixon
Riley Dixon (credit: CBS)

CBS4 wondered whether the competition has altered Colquitt's focus during this training camp (his eighth).

"Definitely. When your wife's going 'Are we going to be here or do I need to worry about packing up the house?' That gives you a little sense of 'Okay, I've got to be the man of the house here and do my job.' So it has," Colquitt said. "If it works out that I'm here, it almost makes the season a little ... I don't want to say easier, but (it makes you feel like) you fought and you did your thing and now you can just build on that."

Riley Dixon Britton Colquitt
Riley Dixon, left, and Britton Colquitt, right (credit: CBS)

Releasing Colquitt, who is 31 and the longest tenured member of the Broncos, would be a money-saving move for the team. But in addition to punting duties, Colquitt is also the holder on field goal attempts. Releasing him would mean the team is placing a lot of confidence in a rookie.

"It can be awkward because here's a young guy that's coming in and -- to his defense -- he's trying to earn a living and he's trying to get a job. And to me, there's a young guy coming in trying to take my job and then I've got a wife and three kids and things like that so it's maybe a little more personal for me. But it's not personal towards him. It's personal that I do my job to a high level to win the job," Colquitt said.

Britton Colquitt
Britton Colquitt (credit: CBS)

If the Broncos were to release Colquitt, it's expected another team would sign him quickly.

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