Denver Broncos: DaeSean Hamilton’s involvement disappointing thus far

Denver Broncos wideout DaeSean Hamilton’s rookie season has been somewhat disappointing from a usage standpoint thus far.

The Denver Broncos won their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but a disappointing trend continued. Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton was not a factor.

Hamilton has just five receptions for 61 yards on the season.

The Broncos drafted Hamilton in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Penn State.

Hamilton was not the first receiver taken by Denver, though. Courtland Sutton out of SMU was drafted in the second round (40th overall) and has had a much better start with the team, catching 24 passes for 473 yards and two touchdowns on 52 targets.

He played just 51 percent of offensive snaps (29 total snaps played) against Pittsburgh. He played zero snaps on special teams, although the production of Phillip Lindsay has a lot to do with that.

Denver Broncos reception leaders:

Emmanuel Sanders has been Case Keenum’s go-to guy during the 2018 season. Sanders has 67 receptions for 849 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the team in all of those categories.

Next up is tight end Jeff Heuerman, who is second on the team with 31 receptions. He is third on the team with 349 yards receiving. Heuerman caught two touchdowns this season.

There are three players that have caught 24 passes this season: Sutton, Lindsay, and Devontae Booker.

Hamilton ranks 8th on the team with his 61 receiving yards, behind three tight ends (Heuerman, Jake Butt, and Matt LaCosse) and running backs Phillip Lindsay and Devontae Booker.

Game-By-Game Targets/Receptions Stats:

Hamilton was not even targeted until week five against the New York Jets.

During that game, he caught all three of his targets for 44 total yards, his best game as a pro thus far.

He had no receptions during the next two matchups (against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals). Then he got injured and missed the matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead and Houston Texans in Denver.

Week nine against the Texans was the very first game of the 2018 season in which the Denver Broncos were without Demaryius Thomas.

Denver traded Thomas to the Texans less than a week before the two teams met.

In Los Angeles against the Chargers, Hamilton caught just one pass for four yards. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, he also had just one reception but this time for thirteen yards.

Thoughts:

The Broncos have had their ups and downs this season. It is quite surprising to me that this team has struggled so much in the last couple of seasons.

Getting Hamilton more involved in the offense is something the Broncos should focus on during the last stretch of the regular season as they try and improve their record.

They are extremely close to finding their way into the playoffs, despite their 5-6 record.

Hamilton could be the missing piece this offense needs to take a big step. All he needs is more of a chance to shine when healthy.