Denver Broncos brick, mortar, and scrap: Wide receivers
By Aric Manthey
DaeSean Hamilton
As Sutton’s peer from the 2018 class, DaeSean Hamilton was expected to be the ideal compliment to Sutton and form a tandem for years to come. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s first two seasons in the league have been riddled with inconsistent play.
Hamilton has gotten off to cold starts in both seasons. He’s averaging 7 catches through the first 9 weeks of each season. Not exactly the number Broncos fans were expecting from #17. It’s a far cry from what draft analysts were praising him for during the pre-draft process two years ago.
Fortunately, there’s two factors that could keep Hamilton in the Mile High City for a third year.
The first is his obvious chemistry with Lock. 17 of Hamilton’s 28 catches in 2019 were made in the five-week span that Lock started. For whatever reason, Hamilton couldn’t get on the same page with the other QB’s prior to Lock. Fortunately, he looks like the crisp route runner that the Broncos were hoping to get when they selected him in the 4th round of the 2018 Draft.
Speaking of the draft, I believe this is the other reason why Hamilton’s spot is probably secure in 2020.
In Elway’s tenure as the Broncos GM, draft picks have gotten a far longer leash than other players. That’s not to say that most teams don’t do the same thing. In the case of the Broncos, though, they seem to do it to a fault.
Fortunately for Hamilton, he appears to have a good chemistry with Lock and that’ll probably be enough to keep him around for another year.
2020 Status: Mortar