Former Denver Broncos second-round pick KJ Hamler has dealt with his share of injuries since he came into the NFL in 2020. As a matter of fact, Hamler has been dealing with injuries dating back to his final year at Penn State. And to say he's dealt with injuries might be the understatement of the year.
Hamler has had some devastating injuries and grueling roads to recovery from those injuries. He dealt with hamstring injuries throughout the 2020 season as well as a concussion that year. In the 2021 season, he suffered a torn ACL against the New York Jets and had to have surgeries on both knees to fix that injury, as well as surgery on his hip. He ended up losing 40 pounds in the hospital.
During the 2022 season, Hamler once again struggled with hamstring issues and was placed on IR late in the year after playing in just seven games.
In the 2023 offseason, Hamler suffered a partially torn pectoral while training and it was expected that he might miss at least the start of training camp, if not the start of the regular season.
There's not a single NFL player out there that wants to have to deal with this kind of extensive injury list, especially when it includes so much time away from the game. Hamler has worked his butt off to make it to the NFL and he's proven to be really good when on the field, but those moments have been unfortunately sparse.
Although we were expecting to not really see much of him during training camp, it sounds more like Hamler is going to be available at the start of training camp and won't have to go on the dreaded PUP list. From 9News Denver Broncos insider Mike Klis:
"(Marvin) Mims will add much-needed speed to the Broncos’ receiver position. Mims and veteran KJ Hamler, who is also expected to be recovered from his torn pec by the start of camp, should have a strong competition."Mike Klis
This is simply outstanding news. Hamler being included in the offensive plan for 2023 could be massive for the Denver Broncos, not just now but into the future as well. There could be wholesale changes made to the wide receiver group after this season, and Hamler's status is as up in the air as anyone's. He's a free agent after this season, but a strong campaign in 2023 could lead to Hamler getting a second contract with this new coaching staff.
You never know.
Still, it's important not to put the cart before the horse. Hamler needs to have a good training camp to merely crack the rotation and beat out the team's top draft pick Marvin Mims for a role in the offense. And I think he can do that based on his abilities. Availability will be the primary question going forward.
Everybody in Broncos Country should be rooting for Hamler to succeed. We've all seen what a difference he can make when he's out there on the field playing with confidence. Although those moments have been sparse, he has rare playing speed and can blow the top off of a defense as well as make big plays after the catch in space.