Tag: KJ Hamler

Broncos restructure final year of WR KJ Hamler’s contract

KJ Hamler will now have the chance to earn a little more in 2023 and the Broncos will have some salary cap relief in case of injury.

The Denver Broncos have restructured wide receiver KJ Hamler’s contract ahead of the start of training camp later this month.

Hamler’s base salary of $1.583 million will remain in plus and he will now have the opportunity to earn an additional $417,000 through incentives, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The third-year receiver is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract.

As a tradeoff for those possible incentive bonuses, Hamler agreed to an injury-specific injured reserve split with the team, according to Yates. It’s a win-win for Hamler and the Broncos because the receiver now has a chance to earn more in 2023 and the team will have a lower salary cap hit if Hamler lands on IR with that specific injury.

Yates did not report what specific injury the clause was added for, but it seems safe to assume it’s the pectoral injury that Hamler suffered this spring. Hamler said earlier this week that he should be recovered in time for training camp, which begins on July 28.

Hamler won’t be a lock to make the 53-man roster this summer, but he’ll get an opportunity to impress at camp. If he can stay healthy and stay on the field, the 23-year-old speedster will be able to earn a little more in 2023. Denver, meanwhile, has some injury insurance.

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Broncos injuries: KJ Hamler expects to be ready for training camp

Broncos WR KJ Hamler (pec) expects to be healthy in time for the start of training camp.

Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler, who underwent surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle this spring, expects to be healthy in time for the start of training camp in late July.

Hamler told KMGH-TV’s Troy Renck on Wednesday that he “should be cleared” by training camp. Broncos veterans are set to report for camp on July 25 with open practices set to begin on July 28.

Hamler has missed 27 games over the last three seasons with various injuries. Now entering the final year of his rookie contract, the receiver will hope to return to health and stay on the field in 2023.

Elsewhere at wide receiver, Kendall Hinton told Renck that he had a minor knee scope this offseason and will also be ready for the start of camp.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Baron Browning (knee) will begin camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. It’s unclear how long Browning will be sidelined.

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Broncos’ projected WR depth chart after the NFL draft

Here is our projected wide receiver depth chart for the Broncos following the NFL draft.

WR1 WR2 WR3 WR4
Tim Patrick Jerry Jeudy Courtland Sutton Marvin Mims
Brandon Johnson Jalen Virgil Marquez Callaway  Kendall Hinton
Lil’Jordan Humphrey Taylor Grimes Dallas Daniels KJ Hamler
Montrell Washington

After the Denver Broncos traded up in the second round of the NFL draft to select Marvin Mims last week, we have a new wide receiver depth chart projection.

Barring a trade, Patrick, Jeudy, Sutton and Mims all seem to be locks. Callaway, Virgil, Hinton and Johnson also seemingly have strong odds to make the team, but Denver will run out of roster spots.

Last year, the Broncos carried six wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster. If they do that again in 2023, Callaway, Virgil, Hinton and Johnson could all be competing for the final two spots.

Right now, Hamler and Washington seem to be in danger of not making the team following the arrival of Mims, a speedy deep threat who provides a spark as a returner. Humphrey and undrafted free agents Grimes and Daniels will also face long odds to make the active roster.

A lot can change between now and the end of training camp, and the possibility of a WR trade will linger given that Denver has so much depth at the position. For now, though, the above depth chart breaks down how we see the Broncos’ current WR room.

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Making sense of the Broncos’ wide receiver situation

The Broncos have a very crowded WR room, so is a trade still possible? Here’s what we know about the team’s WR situation.

Despite already having Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton on the roster, the Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Marquez Callaway during free agency.

After that, the Broncos traded into the second round of the NFL draft last week to select Oklahoma speedster Marvin Mims, making Denver’s wide receiver room even more crowded.

In addition to Jeudy, Patrick, Sutton, Callaway and Mims, the Broncos’ wide receiver depth chart also includes KJ Hamler, Kendall Hinton, Jalen Virgil, Brandon Johnson, Montrell Washington and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

So what gives? Why did Denver make it a priority to trade up for a receiver during the draft when the team already has a crowded WR room? Today, we’ll try to make sense of the situation.

Broncos’ winners and losers following 2023 NFL draft

Whose stock is up and whose stock is down for the Broncos following the NFL draft?

The Denver Broncos came away from the 2023 NFL draft with five new rookies, plus a veteran tight end acquired via a trade with the New Orleans Saints.

The Broncos will now fill their 90-man offseason roster by signing undrafted free agents, and Denver might consider one or two budget veteran free agents who are still available as well.

When it’s all sorted out, the Broncos will go into organized team activities with a full roster later this month and then return for a minicamp in June. Players will then get a break until training camp begins in late July.

There are likely a few tweaks still to come, but Denver’s offseason roster appears to be mostly set. With that in mind, here are the team’s winners (risers) and losers (fallers) following the 2023 NFL draft.

Report: NFL teams called Broncos about potential WR trade after Marvin Mims pick

NFL teams called the Broncos about a potential WR trade after Denver traded up for Marvin Mims during the NFL draft.

The Denver Broncos traded up in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft on Friday to select Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims with their first pick in the draft.

After the Broncos were aggressive in their pursuit of Mims on draft day, other teams took notice and called Denver general manager George Paton about the potential availability of receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.

The Broncos received “a call or two” about the possibility of a WR trade after the Mims pick, according to a report from The MMQB’s Albert Breer. No deal was struck during the draft and it seems unlikely that a deal will get done because Denver has set a high asking price for both Jeudy and Sutton.

“At this point, it’d cost a lot in 2024 picks to get Jeudy or Sutton,” Breer tweeted on Friday. “And teams are being stingy with ’24 picks.”

The Broncos have said multiple times in recent weeks that they do not plan to trade Jeudy or Sutton, and Denver has declined opportunities to do so.

It’s worth noting that Mims is a speedy deep threat, which would make him more of a threat to KJ Hamler for snaps than Jeudy or Sutton. It’s also worth noting that Sutton’s and Tim Patrick’s contracts will have minimal “dead money” cap hits beginning in 2024, and teams are always planning ahead.

The Broncos do not appear to be interested in trading a receiver at the moment, but the Mims pick will give them some flexibility going forward.

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Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

2023 NFL Draft prospect profile: Mitchell Tinsley, Wide receiver

Check out the draft profile of Mitchell Tinsley before this year’s upcoming NFL draft.

For all the NFL attention that other positions at Penn State have gotten, they have sneakily gotten some of their wide receivers drafted the past few years. The notable receivers currently playing in the league are [autotag]Chris Godwin[/autotag], [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Hamler[/autotag] and [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag], although he was at Penn State before the [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] era.

[autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] is one of the most recent Penn State wide receivers who is hoping to get drafted and find a home in the NFL. He spent one season in State College, but was able to perform well enough to get an invite to the NFL combine during the beginning of March.

Even with his good season, Tinsley isn’t looked at as a top prospect in the draft this year. Although, he is a very interesting type of player who might just be scratching the surface of his potential.

Here is a look at Mitchell Tinsley with updated measurables following the NFL combine and Penn State’s pro day.

Brief injury updates for Broncos WR KJ Hamler and QB Russell Wilson

“He had an injury that took place while he was training,” Payton said of KJ Hamler. “He got his surgery done and he is rehabbing right now.”

Some NFL coaches are more forthcoming than others when it comes to discussing injuries during the offseason (and during the season).

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton is perhaps one of the most talkative coaches in the league, but not when it comes to injuries.

Payton did confirm wide receiver KJ Hamler’s injury at the NFL owners’ meetings last week, but the coach did not provide many details.

“He had an injury that took place while he was training,” Payton said on March 27. “He got his surgery done and he is rehabbing right now.”

NFL Network has reported that Hamler underwent pectoral surgery and he’s expected to miss 4-6 weeks, putting his status for training camp in question.

Payton provided even less of an update for quarterback Russell Wilson, who underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery this offseason.

“Injury-wise, I’ll keep you posted,” Payton said when asked about Wilson. “That’s something we’re not going to talk a lot about — probably ever.”

NFL Network has reported that Wilson is expected to be recovered in time for the team’s offseason workout program this spring.

Outside of the league-mandated injury reports during the season, Broncos fans might not hear much about injuries from the team going forward.

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Broncos WR KJ Hamler out 4-6 months after pec surgery

After undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn pec, Broncos WR KJ Hamler will be out 4-6 months, according to NFL Network.

Yet another injury for KJ Hamler.

The Denver Broncos wide receiver recently underwent surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Hamler suffered the pec injury while working out away from the team’s facility this offseason.

Pelissero reported that Hamler is facing a four- to six-month recovery timeline after surgery. In the best-case scenario, that timeline could have him back on the field for the start of training camp in late July.

Hamler (5-9, 178 pounds) has been plagued by injuries since the Broncos selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Penn State. After missing three games as a rookie, Hamler missed 14 games in 2021 and 10 games last season with various injuries.

Hamler has suffered through multiple hamstring injuries, a torn ACL and a concussion over the last three seasons. The 23-year-old receiver was mentioned in trade talks earlier this offseason, but the possibility of a trade is now likely off the table with Hamler rehabbing.

Hamler has totaled 42 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns in 23 career games with the Broncos, with most of that production coming in his rookie season. The receiver will now hope to recover in time for the 2023 campaign, which will mark the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.

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