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Hackett on KJ Hamler Missing Practice: 'Not Necessarily a Setback'

A 'long season' for the Broncos WR.

Zack Kelberman

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Consecutive Did Not Practice (DNP) designations were enough to raise questions on Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler.

Such as: Has Hamler — less than a year removed from tearing his ACL and dislocating his hip — recently suffered an injury-related setback?

“It’s not necessarily setback," Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett answered Thursday. "I think it’s just one of those things—we just want to be sure we’re smart with him. It’s a long season, so we don’t want to just keep rushing him in there or anything like that. It’s going to be up and down for him with how dramatic that injury was. We just want to be smart.”

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The team's No. 3 WR, Hamler spent part of the summer on the Physically Unable to Perform list and was limited in training camp before starting Denver's preseason finale, recording three catches for 18 yards in his first live-bullet action since Sept. 26, 2021.

Deemed healthy, Hamler suited up Monday night for the Broncos' regular-season opener against Seattle but finished the 17-16 loss with zero catches on only one target — and 40-of-66 offensive snaps.

“There was one that we had a great opportunity to get it him," Hackett said Wednesday of Hamler's lone target. "It was one of the times when ‘Russ’ (QB Russell Wilson) was pressured out of the pocket. But we target everybody. We’re trying to distribute the ball to everyone. We don’t want to just feature one guy; we want to make sure that everybody touches the ball because that makes you more efficient on offense. I think it just kind of happened that way a couple of times.”

More will be gleaned on Hamler's status Friday when the Broncos release their final injury report for Week 2 versus Houston.

If he cannot play or is otherwise restricted, Montrell Washington, Tyrie Cleveland, and perhaps Jalen Virgil will pick up the slack behind starting receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

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Zack Kelberman
ZACK KELBERMAN

Zack Kelberman is the Senior Editor for Mile High Huddle. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the wildly popular Broncos show the Mile High Huddle Podcast.

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