Saluki specialist Paul Geelen invited to Denver Broncos rookie minicamp

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois specialist Paul Geelen has accepted an invitation to the Denver Broncos rookie minicamp. Geelen handled all of SIU’s kickoff, punting and place-kicking duties last season, but he said on Sunday that the team expects him to focus exclusively on kicking.

“I don't care whether I'm going to be a kicker or punter or both, but in this case, they were looking for the kicker position,” Geelen said. “I'm very excited, very grateful for the opportunity.”

Geelen has been working with a kicking coach in Alabama, and has also worked with former NFL kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who offered him some advice that has significantly increased his field-goal distance.

“I think the biggest change that I made, is giving myself a little bit more space to work with,” Geelen explained. “I’m 6-foot-6, and my field-goal approach was even shorter than Blankenship’s, who is six inches shorter than me. That extra room to work with added a significant increase on the ball.”

Exactly how much distance did he add?

“I did this rolling field-goal set where I ended by making a 66-yarder, and I hit the 70 off the crossbar,” Geelen said. “We were already talking about the altitude in Denver, and instead of that 70 yarder, it's probably like a 75 yarder with the elevation and altitude.”

The NFL record for longest field goal is 68 yards, set by Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little last season.

In 2025, Geelen was 15-of-17 on field goals, with his only two misses coming from 51 and 59 yards. He was perfect on PATs, and also averaged 41 yards per punt attempt.

He is scheduled to try-out for the team May 1-4. As a native of the Netherlands, Geelen is eligible for the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program, which allows teams a roster exemption to carry an extra international player (17th spot) on their practice squad.

“Some people ask me if I’m nervous, but this whole time I've been very excited,” he said. “Ever since I saw one of the first (American) kicks and punts six years ago, I told my dad, yeah, I can do that, too. I still need to prove myself, but it's looking very good, very positive.”