Tag: KJ Hamler

20 ex-Broncos players have signed with NFL practice squads

A group of former Broncos including Kareem Jackson, KJ Hamler, Caden Sterns and Tim Patrick have landed on NFL practice squads this week.

After the dust settled following NFL roster cuts, clubs have started filling their practice squads. So far, 20 former Denver Broncos players have signed with practice squads this week, including ex-players from past years.

Here’s the list:

  1. RB Mike Boone (Carolina Panthers)
  2. RB Nate McCrary (Green Bay Packers)
  3. WR Tim Patrick (Detroit Lions)
  4. WR Brandon Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
  5. WR Jalen Virgil (Buffalo Bills)
  6. WR KJ Hamler (Buffalo Bills)
  7. WR Montrell Washington (Kansas City Chiefs)
  8. OL Elijah Wilkinson (Atlanta Falcons)
  9. OL Sam Mustipher (Los Angeles Chargers)
  10. OL Henry Byrd (Minnesota Vikings)
  11. OL Sebastian Gutierrez (San Francisco 49ers)
  12. DT McTelvin Agim (Indianapolis Colts)
  13. DL Elijah Garcia (New York Giants)
  14. DL Kyle Peko (Detroit Lions)
  15. DL PJ Mustipher (Arizona Cardinals)
  16. DT Haggai Ndubuisi (Washington Commanders)
  17. OLB Thomas Incoom (Carolina Panthers)
  18. CB Art Green (New York Giants)
  19. DB Kareem Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
  20. DB S Caden Sterns (Philadelphia Eagles)

So far, only two players cut by Denver this week — offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs (New England Patriots) and running back Samaje Perine (Kansas City Chiefs) — have landed on an active roster.

As for their own practice squad, the Broncos have filled 16 of 17 spots so far. The final spot should be filled soon.

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Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts

#Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts:

The Buffalo Bills initial roster is now fully set.

The team already announced their initial 53-man roster. The deadline for that was at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Those not included were subject to waivers and those who cleared had a chance to land on Buffalo’s practice squad.

That waiver wire was set for noon on Wednesday and has come and gone. Now we know who did get an offer to join the 16-man taxi squad.

Here is the Bills’ full initial practice squad:

  • QB Mike White
  • – RB Frank Gore Jr. 
  • WR Deon Cain
  • WR KJ Hamler
  • WR Tyrell Shavers
  • TE Zach Davidson
  • OL Richard Gouraige
  • OL Will Clapp
  • OL Mike Edwards
  • DE Kingsley Jonathan
  • DE Kameron Cline
  • DT Eli Ankou
  • DT Branson Deen
  • CB Daequan Hardy
  • CB Te’Cory Couch
  • S Kareem Jackson

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33 ex-Broncos players cut by NFL teams this week

Thirty-four former Broncos players were cut this week, including Caden Sterns, Kareem Jackson, KJ Hamler, Mike Purcell and Brett Rypien.

After more than 1,000 transactions over the last few days, NFL teams set their initial 53-man rosters on Tuesday afternoon.

Leading up to Tuesday’s roster deadline, 33 former Denver Broncos players were cut by NFL teams. Here’s a quick list of those players.

  1. QB Ben DiNucci (Buffalo Bills)
  2. QB Brett Rypien (Chicago Bears)
  3. RB Mike Boone (Carolina Panthers)
  4. RB Nate McCrary (Minnesota Vikings)
  5. FB Andrew Beck (Houston Texans)
  6. TE TE​ Eric Saubert (San Francisco 49ers)
  7. WR KJ Hamler (Buffalo Bills)
  8. WR Tyrie Cleveland (Indianapolis Colts)
  9. WR Seth Williams (Jacksonville Jaguars)
  10. WR Kaden Davis (Detroit Lions)
  11. OL OL Elijah Wilkinson (Arizona Cardinals)
  12. G Zack Johnson (Cleveland Browns)
  13. OL John Leglue (Atlanta Falcons)
  14. OL Sebastian Gutierrez (San Francisco 49ers)
  15. OL Henry Byrd (Minnesota Vikings)
  16. DL Mike Purcell (New England Patriots)
  17. DL Marquiss Spencer (Pittsburgh Steelers)
  18. DT McTelvin Agim (Houston Texans)
  19. DL P.J. Mustipher (Philadelphia Eagles)
  20. DL Jonathan Harris (Miami Dolphins)
  21. DL Haggai Ndubuisi (Washington Commanders)
  22. DE Justin Hollins (Washington Commanders)
  23. OLB Randy Gregory (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  24. CB Essang Bassey (Detroit Lions)
  25. CB Lamar Jackson (Carolina Panthers)
  26. CB Faion Hicks (Cleveland Browns)
  27. CB Delonte Hood (Arizona Cardinals)
  28. CB Michael Ojemudia (Arizona Cardinals)
  29. CB Mac McCain (New Orleans Saints)
  30. CB Mike Ford (Houston Texans)
  31. DB Kareem Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
  32. DB Caden Sterns (Philadelphia Eagles)
  33. P Corliss Waitman (Chicago Bears)

Some of the players listed above could return to the team that cut them on the practice squad. Later today, we will track Denver’s own practice squad signings after waiver claims are processed on Broncos Wire.

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Former Penn State QBs Sean Clifford and Trace McSorley among NFL cut day victims

A number of Penn State players were cut by NFL teams as rosters began reducing to 53-man rosters.

Tuesday brought on a tough day for so many football players around the NFL. That is the day when NFL teams began trimming their rosters down to the 53-man minimum, and a number of former Penn State players were among the players being cut into the free agent waters of the pros.

Two notable names being cut by their respective NFL franchises were former Penn State quarterbacks [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] and [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag]. McSorely was a late addition to the Washington Commanders roster this summer, so his early exit was not particularly shocking to see. Clifford was a fifth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers last season. Unfortunately, Clifford’s performance this preseason didn’t help convince the Packers he was the best option to be the backup to franchise quarterback Jordan Love.

The Packers also cut former defensive back [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], who was a seventh-round draft pick of Green Bay in the 2023 NFL draft.

In addition to cutting McSorley, the Commanders also cut former Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. It was just days ago the Commanders also traded former Nittany Lion Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders also parted ways with former defensive back [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag].

Four other former Penn State receivers were also shown the door; [autotag]KJ Hamler[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] with the Buffalo Bills, [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag] with the New York Giants, and Dan Chisena with the Arizona Cardinals.

Linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] was cut by the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. And former running back [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] was released by the Cincinnati Bengals.

You can see the full list of former Penn State players who have been cut by NFL teams in the social media posts from Sam Fremin, via X, below.

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Ex-Broncos WR KJ Hamler plays RB for Bills in preseason

The Bills are taking a look at former Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler as a running back.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler might be making a position switch.

Hamler, 25, lined up at running back for the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter of their preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night. Hamler rushed three times for 21 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 11 yards in a 31-26 loss.

The decision to play Hamler at running back might have been more out of necessity than a precursor to a full-time position change. Buffalo was not playing starters and there were no other RBs left to play late in Saturday’s game. If it was experimental, Hamler seemingly made a good impression.

Hamler (5-9, 178 pounds) also got reps as a kickoff and punt returner earlier in preseason, so Buffalo is clearly giving him a shot to carve out a role.

Hamler was picked by the Broncos in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Penn State. He struggled to stay on the field in Denver and was waived last summer with a non-football illness designation after being diagnosed with pericarditis.

Hamler spent last season on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and he’s now competing for a roster spot with the Bills. The fifth-year receiver totaled 42 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns in 23 games with the Broncos from 2020-2023.

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KJ Hamler hopeful for future with Bills: ‘I want to be a playmaker’

A WR name to watch on the #Bills:

The Buffalo Bills wide receiver unit has a lot of uncertainty in it heading into the 2024 season. The goals KJ Hamler has set for himself are anything but that.

Hamler was once a speedy and promising prospect with the Denver Broncos. Injury and health concerns then knocked everything off course. He was diagnosed with pericarditis—or inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart.

Now in improved standing, the Bills saw something in him. The team signed him to a futures contract earlier this offseason. Regardless of that type of deal, the 24-year-old said to the Buffalo News he has huge hopes with the Bills.

“I want to be a playmaker. I want to be the guy they come to on third down and also in the return game. I’m here to do whatever I can to be a spark for the team,” Hamler said.

With the lack of experience in the Bills offense among all of Buffalo’s wide receivers, Hamler might have a chance to make his dream a reality. Of all of the Bills’ wideouts, only Khalil Shakir has caught a regular season pass from quarterback Josh Allen.

While everyone in that grouping will have their own unique and different skill sets, even general manager Brandon Beane had to note Hamler’s speed earlier this offseason. It was appealing.

“KJ Hamler is here competing,” Beane said. “He had the injury bug there a little bit, trying to see, we’ve really worked on him seeing if we can armor his body a little bit, show the durability. You see the speed, you do watching these guys run out here run on air in phase two. It’ll just be, is he able to keep himself healthy?”

Hamler and the Bills will take the field for the first time at 2024 training camp on July 24.

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Bills’ La’el Collins on comeback: ‘I’m ready to go dominate’

#Bills’ La’el Collins on comeback: ‘I’m ready to go dominate’

La’el Collins was on a powerful trajectory as one of the top young talents in the NFL at his position when he signed a multi-year pact with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 coming off his ascension in the league as a Dallas Cowboy.

Then a season-ending ACL and MCL injury struck the offensive tackle, and a lengthy recovery period followed.

The Bills signed him to a one-year deal this offseason, and the 30-year-old has one goal in mind in his return to football.

“To dominate,” Collins said to WGRZ Channel 2.

In joining Buffalo, Collins will have the opportunity to do just that both individually should he return to form and crack the offensive line rotation, and also as a team.

The Bills themselves were dominant against the Cowboys last season, the club Collins’ spent the first years of his career with and with whom he is very familiar. 266 yards gained on the ground en route to a 31-10 victory stood out to the O-lineman.

“When you’re able to line up in the same formation and run the same play over and over again and they know you’re running it against their will and they can’t stop it, that’s an offensive lineman’s dream,” he said. “That’s when you know you’re imposing your will. Just watching that and seeing what this group is about, seeing what this team is about… just that little piece that hit home with me.”

Collins’ injury in which all three of the ligaments in his left knee tore was sustained in a game against New England, and he hasn’t appeared in a game since December 2022 but had worked his way to a workout with Buffalo in December 2023.

“That’s a tough picture to put yourself in,” the OL added. “To deal with an injury that’s as traumatic as tearing your knee, it’s something you can’t really explain. I felt like last year, I maybe could’ve put myself in a position to play some football, but I knew mentally that the tank was empty.

That was tough days, that was days where you have 70,000 thoughts in your head running crazy, telling you you might not be good enough. You might not come back.”

But in the end, the lineman overcame the mental obstacles to reclaim the opportunity to play.

“At the end of the day, the best way to combat that noise is by combatting that with work, and discipline and building that confidence,” he noted.

He’s embraced his new home this season in Buffalo’s line rotation as well.

“I love it,” he added. “I think that’s a benefit to me, being able to play anywhere. Every chance I get to take a rep, it doesn’t matter if it’s with the ones, twos, or threes, take advantage of that opportunity that you get.

I’m so far from where I want to be right now, and I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, so I still feel like the process is still on going.”

To his credit, Collins remains dialed in and focused on the assignment at hand and finding his way back to success on the field in the process.

“They brought me here to play football and I came here to dominate and I’m going to let everything else take care of itself. I’m going to show up every day and go to work. Help the young guys, and do whatever they ask me.

I’m super grateful and I just look forward to giving Bills Mafia everything left in me. I’m ready to go ball. I’m ready to go dominate.”

Bills WR KJ Hamler: ‘I don’t fear anything’

#Bills WR KJ Hamler: ‘I don’t fear anything’

Bills GM Brandon Beane has restocked Buffalo’s receiver group with talent and depth to compete for opportunities to contribute on the field this coming season.

Following the departures of two of the teams’ top targets, WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, Beane brought in several players who’ve shown potential on other teams and could provide upside on short-term deals.

One of them is KJ Hamler, who had elite deep speed as a prospect and had shown flashes of his potential in his first few seasons as a 2nd round pick with Denver before injuries slowed and disrupted his progression.

He signed a reserves/futures deal with Buffalo in January after spending last season on the Colts practice squad and spoke to Spectrum News 1 following a mandatory minicamp practice about where he’s at and what he hopes to accomplish.

“Aw, man. I’m lightning in a bottle,” Hamler said after practice during mandatory minicamp. “I’m electric in a bottle. Ready to take the top off and once the ball’s in my hands, I’m going to make plays with it.”

While the Bills have a number of players looking to bounce back from injury, they are on longer deals. The short-term opportunities for the receivers looking to regain form provide a low risk and potential reward to Buffalo’s passing game rotation.

Hamler joins receivers like Chase Claypool, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Quintez Cephus, and Mack Hollins who are all looking to crack the rotation as weapons for QB Josh Allen.

His time in Denver he experienced setbacks including a torn ACL ligament in his left knee, and a dislocated hip.

Last summer he experienced pain in his chest and was diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation in the sac area around his heart.

“The pain was so excruciating it woke me up at like 4 in the morning,” Hamler added. “I had to drive myself to the hospital. [I’m] blessed that I got there in time. [I’m] blessed that I was able to treat it, but I had to take a whole different perspective of life.”

He also faced some off-the-field challenges as well during the last several years.

“[There] was times where I really wanted to give up. At one point, I didn’t want to be here. [I] lost my grandmother, lost my cousin. Got injured. So just battling through a whole bunch of adversity.”

The loss of his grandmother, a key figure in his life, was especially difficult for the young receiver.

“I hate talking about her because I always get a little…you know what I’m saying,” Hamler said, holding back tears. “That was my first love though. And I think she was the one that held the family together, so it’s kind of been a little rough without her.”

The good news is that Hamler’s worked through the adversity and challenges and feels ready for the opportunity that’s in front of him.

“It’s like weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s still work to be made, it’s still progress to be made but I’m always excited for it,” he continued. “That’s the thing. I’m not scared anymore. I don’t fear anything. I can go out there and play free, with a free mind.”

Bills sign 13 players to reserve/future contracts

Full list:

(Update 1/24, 6:30 p.m.): The Bills have also signed QB Shane Buechele to a reserve/future contract:

Previous coverage: 

The Buffalo Bills had inked 11 players to reserve/future contracts earlier this week. Then on Tuesday, two more were added to the bunch.

A reserve/future contract guarantees that a player cannot be signed by another team. The deal goes into effect once the new league year begins and will count towards the next season’s salary cap and 90-man roster for the offseason and training camp.

Of the 13, 11 were on the team’s practice squad during the 2023 season. Two of them, wide receiver KJ Hamler and safety Kendall Williamson, were not.

Here’s the full list of the 13 players the Bills have signed to reserve/future deals:

KJ Hamler signs contract with Buffalo Bills

Former Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler signs with NFL playoff team.

A day after being eliminated from the NFL postseason, the Buffalo Bills have added a former Penn State wide receiver to their roster. [autotag]KJ Hamler[/autotag] reportedly signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills on Monday, as reported by Field Yates of ESPN.

A reserve/future contract is a short-term contract for current or practice squad players in the NFL. They are used by teams to keep players under their control with the intent of using them for the next season and players are included on the offseason 90-player limit. This means Hamler will be able to participate in offseason workouts and training camp with the Buffalo Bills, giving him a chance to earn a spot on the team’s active roster next fall.

Hamler was a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL draft, following a second-team All-Big Ten season with the Nittany Lions in 2019. Hamler dealt with a number of injuries during his three seasons with the Broncos, including a torn ACL in 2021 and a hamstring injury, and a torn pectoral muscle in 2022.

The Broncos waived Hamler in July 2023 and signed with the Indianapolis Colts to be on the practice squad. The Colts chose not to keep Hamler on with a reserve/future contract following the season, leaving him available for the Bills.

Hamler has 42 career receptions for 620 yards and 3 touchdowns in the NFL.

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