Tag: KJ Hamler

Broncos coach Sean Payton says KJ Hamler might return early in 2023 season

Sean Payton said that KJ Hamler might be able to return to the Broncos in about a month and a half after treating pericarditis.

The Denver Broncos waived wide receiver KJ Hamler earlier this week with a non-football illness designation.

Hamler received that designation after being diagnosed with pericarditis, a heart irritation. The 24-year-old receiver will now spend the next month or so treating the condition.

Broncos coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton met with Hamler and the receiver’s agent to explain their plan before the cut.

“His [situation] is unique, and it’s a unique condition,” Payton said on Tuesday. “We had a long visit with him. With him, the good news is we feel like — I don’t want to put a prognosis or timeline on it, but approximately a month and probably another couple of weeks to get in football shape. We are hopeful that once the symptoms dissipate and he is cleared, then that leaves us a lot of options. We spent a lot of time with him and his agent coming up with the best plan, and we feel like we have a good one.”

Had the Broncos placed Hamler on the reserve/NFI list, he would have been ruled out for the entire season. By waiving him, Denver will have an extra spot on the roster while Hamler recovers. Once the receiver has recovered, the Broncos might re-sign him later this year.

“All of us — when you get ready for a break or a rehab, you want to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Payton said. “It’s important that they hear that from me and George. That’s the purpose of the meeting we had with KJ. He was good — obviously disappointed.

“With his situation, it’s more of a condition than an injury. It’s something that is new. He’s never had a history of it. It’s a little unique, but the good news is we feel like about a month and a half from now, that option  — based on how he’s feeling — has a chance to work out in his favor and our favor.”

Hamler cleared waivers and is now a free agent, but he seems unlikely to be signed by a team while treating the condition. The fourth-year receiver will now aim to recover and return to Denver early in the 2023 season.

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Broncos’ updated WR depth chart after Tim Patrick injury

Following the Tim Patrick injury, Marvin Mims could be poised to step up. Here is our projected wide receiver depth chart for the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos’ wide receiver depth chart lost two players on Monday after Tim Patrick tore his Achilles and KJ Hamler was waived with a non-football illness designation.

Following the loss of Patrick and Hamler, Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton remain the team’s top two receivers going into 2023. Jeudy and Sutton also served as the top WRs in 2022 after Patrick missed the entire year with a torn ACL. Hamler battled various injuries last year and missed 10 games.

Behind Jeudy and Sutton, the top candidate to serve as the WR3 is rookie Marvin Mims, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma who will undoubtedly see his role increase following Patrick’s injury.

After those top three, several players will be competing for the final WR spots this summer. Jalen Virgil impressed last offseason and played in nine games in 2022; Marquez Callaway had a breakout season under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints in 2021; Brandon Johnson played in eight games last year and Kendall Hinton is a fan favorite.

The remaining WRs — Taylor Grimes, Montrell Washington, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy and Nick Williams — will all face long odds to make the 53-man roster this summer. Our projected wide receiver depth chart going into the second week of camp can be seen below.

Broncos Wide Receiver Depth Chart

WR1 WR2 WR3
Jerry Jeudy Courtland Sutton Marvin Mims
Jalen Virgil Brandon Johnson Marquez Callaway
Kendall Hinton Michael Bandy Montrell Washington
Lil’Jordan Humphrey Taylor Grimes Nick Williams 

 

Broncos sign wide receiver to replace KJ Hamler

After waiving KJ Hamler on Monday, the Broncos filled the open roster spot by signing WR Nick Williams on Tuesday.

After waiving wide receiver KJ Hamler with a non-football illness designation on Monday, the Denver Broncos filled Hamler’s former spot on the 90-man offseason roster by signing fellow receiver Nick Williams.

This will mark Williams’ third stint with the team this offseason. An undrafted rookie, Williams is a local prospect who played high school football at Cherry Creek and started his college career at CSU-Pueblo before later transferring to UNLV.

Williams was previously signed on June 5 and cut on June 13 and later re-signed on July 25 and cut on July 28. He will hope the third time’s the charm.

Broncos receiver Tim Patrick tore his Achilles on Monday but at the time of this writing, Patrick remains on the roster. Denver will likely place Patrick on injured reserve in the coming days, a move that will open up another roster spot.

Broncos Wire published a list of 10 free agent wide receivers the team might consider signing on Tuesday. Williams was at the top of the list.

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10 free agent wide receivers Broncos should consider signing

Going forward without Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler, the Broncos will need more depth at WR. Here’s a quick list of 10 free agents to monitor.

Following the losses of wide receivers Tim Patrick (Achilles) and KJ Hamler (pericarditis) on Monday, the Denver Broncos will likely sign at least one receiver in the coming days.

Hamler might be able to return to the team later this year, but Patrick is set to miss the entire 2023 season.

The biggest name free agent available is Julio Jones, but he is 34 years old and coming off a quiet season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other big-game players available are Jarvis Landry (30) and T.Y. Hilton (33), who have both seen their production drop in recent seasons.

One unflashy name to watch is Nick Williams, who has had two different stints with the Broncos this spring. Williams is a local prospect who played high school football at Cherry Creek and started his college career at CSU-Pueblo before later transferring to UNLV ahead of the 2022 college football season.

With those names in mind, here’s a quick look at the full list of 10 free agent wide receivers the Broncos should consider signing.

KJ Hamler explains health status on Instagram after being cut by Broncos

“I will be back on the field—better and stronger than ever—as soon as possible this season!” wide receiver KJ Hamler wrote on Instagram.

The Denver Broncos waived wide receiver KJ Hamler with a non-football illness designation on Monday. The 24-year-old receiver explained his health situation in a post on Instagram:

After feeling some chest pains while working out on the break before camp started, I got everything checked out and was diagnosed with mild heart irritation, called pericarditis. I’ve got a great treatment plan with medicine and am taking a quick break to get this all taken care of so I can get back to doing what I love.

I will be back on the field—better and stronger than ever—as soon as possible this season! I feel great physically and this is very frustrating for me to deal with. I know most of you have heard or know of my story and these past few years what I’ve been going through on and off the field.

It’s tough to deal with this when I was ready for a breakout year, but adversity is nothing new to me. I have been through hell and back, but it’s hard to reach paradise if you don’t go through hell first.

I’ll get past this just like everything else on this journey! I will continue to elevate. I forever stand on business.

This is not a farewell, this is not a good bye, this is a see you soon as I take a break for my health.

I’m so grateful for my teammates & coaches. Appreciate the support from the Broncos Country and encouragement I have been receiving. This is something to bring awareness to anybody. So anyone with chest pains please get checked out by your doctor!

Stay true, Be you, stand on Ten, Never bend.

From K with love 🫶🏽

Had the Broncos placed Hamler on the reserve/non-football illness list, he would have been ruled out for the entire 2023 season. By waiving him instead, Denver leaves open the possibility of re-signing Hamler later in the year once he has recovered.

In the meantime, the Broncos will now be able to sign another receiver after waiving Hamler and creating an opening on the roster.

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KJ Hamler shares details of mild medical condition and updates plan with Broncos

Former Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler shared an update on a mild medical condition that will temporarily keep him away from the NFL

With the start of NFL training camps underway around the league, one former Penn State wide receiver finds himself in a bit of a unique roster situation with his NFL team. [autotag]KJ Hamler[/autotag], who has confirmed he has been diagnosed with a mild heart irritation, will reportedly be waived by the Denver Broncos, but it appears the Broncos are not ready to totally give up on the former Nittany Lion.

According to a report from NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo, the Broncos intend to waive Hamler as a roster move designed more for getting a player on the roster that can participate in training camp and potentially the preseason while Hamler continues with a treatment plan. Garafolo suggested the Broncos intend to keep Hamler as part of their roster in the long run. So, as far as Hamler’s situation with the Broncos, that appears to be promising.

On his Instagram account on Monday afternoon, Hamler confirmed the details of his medical situation by saying he was diagnosed with a mild heart irritation called pericarditis. Hamler was checked out by doctors after feeling chest pains while working out prior to the start of the Broncos training camp.

“I will be back on the field — better and stronger than ever — as soon as possible this season,” Hamler said in his statement on his Instagram account. “I feel great physically and this is very frustrating for me to deal with.”

“I’m so grateful for my teammates & coaches,” Hamler went on to say. “Appreciate the support from the Broncos Country and encouragement I have been receiving.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvX3bt1Ldb2/?hl=en

 

Hamler’s update on Instagram received warm wishes from former Penn State players like [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag], and current Nittany Lion [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag].

“I’m already knowing how you boutta shake back,” King said in a comment on Hamler’s Instagram post.

Hamler is entering his fourth season in the NFL, but he has played in just 10 games total over the past two seasons due to injury issues. Hamler has 42 career receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns, all with the Broncos.

Hamler ended his Penn State career with 1,658 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. He also accounted for 1,036 kickoff return and 222 punt return yards during his time with the Nittany Lions.

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Broncos waive receiver KJ Hamler with non-football illness designation

The Broncos are waiving KJ Hamler, who will focus on treating pericarditis. Once he recovers, Hamler could return to Denver in the fall.

The Denver Broncos waived wide receiver KJ Hamler with a non-football illness designation on Monday, according to multiple reports.

Hamler had been working his way back from a pectoral injury that he suffered this spring. He will now be cut and focus on recovering from pericarditis, which “isn’t overly serious,” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Had the team placed Hamler on the reserve/non-football illness list, he would have been ruled out for the entire season. By releasing him, Denver is leaving open the possibility for a return later this year while creating a roster spot in the meantime.

The Broncos will now have room on the roster to bring in a new wide receiver. Hamler will receive heart treatment via medicine, not surgery, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Multiple reporters have indicated that Denver could bring Hamler back early in the season once he has recovered. The Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson reported that “there is ample optimism” Hamler could return this fall.

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Broncos place 2 players on PUP list, but not Javonte Williams

The Broncos placed OLB Baron Browning and WR Kendall Hinton on the PUP list, but RB Javonte Williams avoided that designation.

The good news continues for Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams.

The Broncos said this spring that they expected Williams (knee) to be ready for the start of training camp, but it was unclear if the team was being overly optimistic. That expectation became more realistic after Williams was able to participate in organized team activities (on a limited basis) in May.

Now, with training camp set to begin this week, Denver has announced that two players will be placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and Williams is not among them.

Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (knee), outside linebacker Aaron Patrick (knee), and rookie safety JL Skinner (pectoral) also avoided the PUP list. Denver has cleared all four players for the start of camp.

The Broncos are placing outside linebacker Baron Browning (knee) and wide receiver Kendall Hinton (undisclosed) on the PUP list, the team announced. Denver also placed wide receiver KJ Hamler (pectoral) and defensive lineman Mike Purcell (offseason surgery) on the non-football injury (NFI) list.

Players on the PUP and NFI lists still count against the 90-man offseason roster, but they are not eligible to practice. Players can be activated from the PUP or NFI list at any point during training camp.

Here’s a quick recap of the team’s injury-related moves on Sunday.

Broncos place WR KJ Hamler, DL Mike Purcell on NFI list to begin camp

Broncos WR KJ Hamler and DL Mike Purcell will begin training camp on the non-football injury list.

The Denver Broncos will begin training camp with two players on the non-football injury list.

The Broncos have placed wide receiver KJ Hamler and defensive lineman Mik Purcell on the NFI list, according to the league’s transaction wire. Field Yates of ESPN first reported the Hamler news and KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis first reported the Purcell news.

Hamler, 24, suffered a partially-torn pectoral muscle this spring while working out away from the team’s facility. He had hoped to be ready for the start of training camp but that won’t be the case.

Purcell, 32, underwent a “minor” surgery this offseason. It’s unclear how long the defensive lineman will be sidelined.

Players on the NFI list still count against the 90-man offseason roster but are not able to practice after suffering an injury unrelated to an NFL practice or game (or team-organized workout). Hamler and Purcell can be activated from the NFI list to the active roster at any time during training camp.

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Ranking the AFC West by wide receiver trios

How do the teams stack up at the wide receiver spot in the AFC West?

The top and the bottom of the AFC West at quarterback is fairly easy to quantify. But which of those QBs will be armed with the best receiving corps as targets? It was not an easy exercise and you come to realize that each team in this division is pretty well stacked at the position.