By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos wide receiving core took a significant hit. #2 wide receiver Tim Patrick tore his Achilles and will be gone for the year. This is the second straight missed season for Patrick. The Broncos also decided to wave KJ Hamler.
The Broncos drafted Hamler in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL draft. In his college career with Penn State, he appeared in 26 games catching 98 passes for 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was also their punt and kick returner. He averaged 23.5 yards per kick return and 6 yards per punt return. Denver expected him to not only be a speedy wide receiver but a player who could help them on special teams. During his rookie season, Hamler showed what he could do, catching 30 passes for 381 yards. He added 3 touchdowns. The Broncos were hoping to see more.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Hamler took a step back in 2021, appearing in just 3 games. He caught 5 passes for 74 yards. He missed the rest of the season dealing with a torn ACL he suffered in week 3 when the Broncos beat the Jets 26-0. Last year Hamler appeared in 7 games catching 14 passes for 165 yards. He missed 10 games with a hamstring injury.
Hamler was expected to compete for the #4 wide receiver spot. He felt chest pains before training camp started. He is suffering from pericarditis which is a mild heart irritation. Denver placed him on the reserve/non-football illness. This means Hamler could come back and play for the Broncos at some point, but it creates a roster spot for the time being,
The Broncos know Marvin Mims Jr. is most likely to be a top 3 receiver to play alongside Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. After that, Kendall Hinton, Marquez Callaway, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Brandon Johnson are the other wide receivers battling it out for at least 2 wide receiver spots, not including special teams. The Broncos are lucky to have depth as they look to improve on their 5-12 record from last year.
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