The Denver Broncos have a weapon in DaeSean Hamilton, and his breakout was overshadowed by the loss against the New York Jets.
The Denver Broncos may have lost to the New York Jets in unimpressive fashion, but that doesn’t mean there was nothing positive to be taken from the game.
As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to dig very deep within the game tape to find something good, as simply evaluating the play of the 2018 rookie class usually will brighten your day.
Up to this point, however, the positives have been hard to come by for fourth-round pick DaeSean Hamilton, a wide receiver out of Penn State. Other than the occasional punt return, Hamilton has been limited to grunt work on special teams and very limited action — mostly as a blocker — offensively.
That all changed on Sunday against the New York Jets as Hamilton finally got a chance to show what he can do as a receiver.
Hamilton’s first reception in the NFL came out of the slot, where he established himself as a dynamic threat at Penn State.
His second NFL reception was as pretty a route as you will see run in the NFL. Just like his first reception, Hamilton motioned from the right slot over to the left side of the formation, and he turned the defender for Jets around 360 degrees.
The defender had his back turned to Hamilton and by the time he turned around to find him, Hamilton was already running with the ball in his hands.
The Broncos need more of this and they need it quickly. Hamilton is a player who can move the chains for an offense. He understands how to get open, and more often than not, slot corners aren’t going to be able to compete with his route quickness in such a short space.
The coaching staff in Denver talked up Hamilton all offseason for his professional approach to the game and now it’s time for him to get on the field a lot more.
Right now, the Broncos are the 7th-worst team in the NFL at converting third downs offensively. They have the 6th-worst red zone offense in the NFL.
Despite having 34 plays of 20-plus yards offensively this season (tied for second in all of football with the Rams, of all teams), the Broncos are not finishing or sustaining enough drives and a player like Hamilton can help them do that.
He played his most extensive snaps on Sunday against the Jets, and hopefully, that trend will continue upward with the Broncos keeping Demaryius Thomas fresh over the long haul of a game and the season in general.
Let the rookies play.