ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --** Moves like the decision to release kicker Matt Prater happen often -- but usually in February or March, in advance of the new league year, and weeks after the season ends.

In this case, it happened Friday, two days before the Week 5 showdown with Arizona. A handful of factors that led to the choice, which comes as Prater's four-game suspension nears its end. These included contracts and salary-cap planning, a potential suspension of one year if Prater committed another violation of the substance-abuse policy, and the performance and potential of replacement Brandon McManus.

"It's just an overall decision," Head Coach John Fox said.

"It's always difficult, but it's always a football decision, what's going to give us the best chance in our opinion, and I wish Matt nothing but the best moving forward."

The release of Prater creates dead money in regards to the prorated portion of his signing bonus. But even when factoring that into the equation, the Broncos will save money under this year's cap, because Prater would have earned more than five times what McManus would earn with a rookie/first-year minimum deal.

Denver has a large and talented crop of players with expiring contracts, led by wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, tight end Julius Thomas, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, free safety Rahim Moore and left guard Orlando Franklin. A seven-figure cap savings next year by changing from Prater to McManus makes it a bit easier to get as many key veterans re-signed as possible.

McManus' cap figure for 2015 is scheduled to be less than 15 percent of what Prater's would have been. And based on McManus' results so far, the difference between the two is much less than their figures would indicate.

"Brandon has obviously proved that he can do it," punter and holder Britton Colquitt said. "We haven't had many opportunities for long field goals yet -- in fact, everything is under 24 (yards) -- but he's kicking touchbacks. He does it in practice. He has plenty of practices where he doesn't miss one. So he's definitely the best person to replace somebody like that."

McManus said that during the Wednesday and Thursday practices each week, he gets seven placekicks during each session, which would put him at 70 kicks, about what a kicker would expect to receive during games over two seasons.

"Statistically, they're charting everything down that you do -- kickoffs, field goals," McManus said. "And then my field goals during the preseason."