How will Denver Broncos use KJ Hamler vs Seahawks?
The Denver Broncos will get to unleash their projected high-power offense in Week 1 against the Seahawks. Though they will not be able to put wide receiver Tim Patrick out there, they’ll still have the likes of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and K.J. Hamler.
Against the Vikings in the preseason, Hamler caught three passes for 18 yards on 25 snaps. According to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, Hamler ran 15 different routes.
That seems like a really good sign for things to come with Hamler since he tore his ACL last season. Of course, we have not yet seen Russell Wilson on the field yet during even a preseason game, but it would be huge if Hamler was out there.
That’s not to say that he would be very effective stat-wise. It is possible that the Broncos will still try and slowly work Hamler back into things as a decoy. The thing that really benefits Hamler here is his speed. He can help bring the Seahawks’ secondary away from the main targets.
After an injury as bad as a torn ACL, it makes sense that a player would ultimately be slower than he was prior to the injury. It’s only a couple of weeks until the one-year anniversary of Hamler’s devastating injury that forced him out for the rest of the 2021 season.
It is going to be a lot of fun to see what type of offense the Broncos put out on the field not only in Week 1 but for the rest of the season. Having Hamler out there would make a really big difference, but at the same time, it doesn’t make sense to have him out on the field if there are still questions about his health.
This will be Hamler’s first regular season work since Week 3 last season against the Jets.