Bills Central

Bills WR sets clear goals while mounting career comeback: 'I want to be a playmaker'

After a career of setbacks, wide receiver K.J. Hamler wants to be a spark for the Buffalo Bills.

McKenna Middlebrook

Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) runs the ball in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) runs the ball in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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K.J. Hamler's expectations for himself are clear.

"I want to be a playmaker," the Buffalo Bills wide receiver recently told the Buffalo News. "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.”


These are the words of a player fighting to elongate his once-promising professional career. He hasn’t had the easiest start to his NFL stint after being selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He had a persistent hamstring injury in his rookie year before tearing his ACL in 2021. He experienced mental health issues in 2021 and 2022 in addition to another hamstring ailment, also partially tearing his pec in the 2023 offseason. He was diagnosed with pericarditis while rehabbing from his pectoral injury, the cherry on top of what was a sundae of adversity.

Pericarditis is the inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the heart. He was promptly released by the Broncos following the diagnosis, and after an unsuccessful stint with the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in 2023, the Bills signed him to a futures/reserves contract in January 2024.

Related: Bills' rookies report to training camp today

Though it’s been an incredibly tough road for Hamler, he had this to say about his situation, “After all of the stuff I've been through and her being gone these past two years, it's two ways you can go -- bend a little or break. I chose not to break. I chose not to fold." 

The positivity of Hamler should be commended -- to use his words, it would've been easy to "fold." Most would've. But, he has a real chance of making Buffalo's roster. The Bills' receiving corps is a patchwork of different sizes and abilities, and in the past, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has proven capable of ‘resurrecting’ the careers of wide receivers. With Hamler’s speed, playmaking ability, and the uniqueness of his skill set compared to Buffalo's other wideouts, it could be the best season of his career if he can remain healthy. 

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McKenna Middlebrook
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