Sitting at 3-7 on the season, the Denver Broncos are in a spot where it is time to see what can be taken positively into the 2020 season. That will include evaluating several players and position groups in order to determine where improvements can be made.
It was only a small sample in last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, but the Broncos do appear to have something to work with in the passing game with the big, athletic trio of Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Noah Fant.
What they need to find out for sure now is what they have in last year’s fourth-round pick, wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton.
Hamilton has been quiet this season — too quiet. Despite playing in all 10 games for the team, he has caught just 11 passes for 106 yards. Pro Football Reference shows that he has been in on just about 62 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
So why is Hamilton finding it so difficult to become a consistent contributor on offense?
He finished the 2018 season strong, catching at least five passes in every game during the month of December while Emmanuel Sanders was injured. Those numbers encouraged many fans to believe he would take off in his second season with the team.
That has not happened.
This season, he has caught passes in just five of the team’s 10 games. He also hasn’t caught a pass since the October 17 meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Does the team not really trust him? He did have some drops which made it seem like Joe Flacco almost refused to look his way at a point. Is the offense too complex? Is he just not that good? Something else?
These are just some of the questions we have to ask ourselves as to why Hamilton has been a complete non-factor in the passing game. But there is no room for excuses in professional football and soon, Hamilton will need to make some plays to show that he should be in this team’s future plans.
That should start as early as this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Patrick, who just returned from injured reserve, has already developed a new shoulder injury that has slowed him down this week.
Sutton leads the team with 49 receptions, but behind him, here are the numbers for the Broncos’ other receivers this
| Wide receiver | Receptions | Percentage of snaps |
| Emmanuel Sanders (traded) | 30 | 53.47 |
| DaeSean Hamilton | 11 | 61.78 |
| Diontae Spencer | 5 | 7.40 |
| Tim Patrick | 4 | 10.14 |
| Fred Brown | 2 | 13.14 |
That chart shows that Hamilton has done very little despite plenty of opportunities. Meanwhile, guys like Spencer (a return specialist), Brown and Patrick (in one game) have really done more with less of a chance.
That’s concerning.
Flacco is done for the season and possibly for good in Denver. Hamilton needs to create a connection with Brandon Allen or — if he’s going to play this season — Drew Lock. That will be essential in order for the team to consider Hamilton a piece that it can use to build with in the future or if a young wideout needs to be targeted in the draft next spring.
Having just 11 catches despite being on the field for over 400 offensive snaps is just not good enough and it says one of two things. Either the team doesn’t trust Hamilton or he just doesn’t know how to get open.
This is a player who caught 214 passes for over 2,800 yards in a tough Big 10 Conference while at Penn State in college. Why has his transition to the next level been so difficult?
It’s time for Hamilton and the Broncos to begin answering these questions and looking for ways to get more production on the field. His future with the team could depend on it.
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