Getty Jerry Jeudy, Javonte Williams and KJ Hamler of the Denver Broncos celebrate in the first quarter of pre-season play against the Minnesota Vikings on August 14, 2021.
Denver Broncos sophomore stud Jerry Jeudy is slated to be out six to eight weeks after a devastating high ankle sprain suffered in the Meadowlands in Week 1. Though Broncos Country can take solace in Jeudy’s performance up until that point, so too the supporting cast’s production.
Jeudy amassed the most receiving yards (72) for Denver. Tight end Noah Fant was close behind, with six receptions for 62 yards. The Broncos buried the Giants with a consistent run-game, behind Melvin Gordon’s 101-yard, 11-carry performance and a 10-minute time of possession advantage.
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Broncos fans were thrilled with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s play, his distribution of the football was almost critical and should bode well for Week 2 at Jacksonville. The former Carolina signal-caller threw passes to nine different pass-catchers. Jeudy and Fant aside, here’s who caught the rock for the Broncos:
- WR KJ Hamler (three receptions for 41 yards)
- WR Tim Patrick (four for 39 yards)
- RB Melvin Gordon (three for 17 yards)
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam (three for 16 yards)
- WR Courtland Sutton (one for 14 yards)
- TE Eric Saubert (one for 7 yards)
- RB Javonte Williams (one for -4 yards).
None of those numbers are particularly eye-catching but the ability to share the ball around has never been more critical given No.10’s injury. Jeudy’s presence will be missed but if the offense can collaboratively fill the void, the wins should stack up.
The Alabama product’s sprained ankle may ostensibly be a big loss but Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio played down the effect it will have on the offense.
“I don’t think it changes it,” Fangio said on September 15, via Broncos.com. “Obviously, we’re going to miss Jerry, and obviously it hurts our depth. KJ, Tim [Patrick], Courtland [Sutton], Kendall [Hinton], ‘Spence’ (Diontae Spencer) — they’ll be able to go in there and fill the void. Jerry was having a hell of a camp, as you all noticed. He had a really good game going the other day, and we’re going to miss him while he’s out.”
Bridgewater: Hamler Is a ‘Special Player’
Hamler had an electric preseason and should have capped off Sunday’s performance with a touchdown, if not for an inexplicable drop. Despite the disappointment, Broncos’ teammates rallied around the Penn State product.
“Everybody else was [supporting] and encouraging him,” Fangio said. “He knows. He’s disappointed that he dropped it. He just has to have the mindset that I can’t wait for the next one to go catch that one. All the great ones have had their dropped passes. It’s how you react to them.”
Hamler did make critical plays showing his worth to the Broncos throughout, including a huge catch on third-and-5 with Denver only ahead 10-7.
What a grab! @Kj_hamler
Bridgewater outlined what makes Hamler a unique and exciting player on the rise.
“He’s a special player, he’s here for a reason,” Bridgewater told reporters on September 15. “He’s explosive, he’s dynamic, he’s shifty, he can catch the ball well, he runs great routes, and that’s what we expect of him this week.
“We don’t need him to come in and try to be something that he’s not and he doesn’t have to pretend to be something that he’s not. If KJ can be the best version of KJ he’ll help this offense and he’ll continue to grow in the system and in this league.”
With Jeudy going out, Hamler will get the opportunity to fill his shoes. “He’ll probably get more playing time,” Fangio said. “Yes, he’s going to get more playing time, and I thought he played well. He had the drop, but it wasn’t an easy catch. He’ll get the next one.”
Hamler Addresses Dropped Touchdown in Week 1
Hamler himself faced the media on September 15, relaying how he dealt with the dropped touchdown pass. “I was disappointed in the drop,” Hamler said. “Even in [training] camp, I don’t drop ‘tuds’ and deep balls and stuff like that.
“I came out here on Monday, I told one of the assistants to just throw me 100 over-the-shoulder balls, deep balls. The wind was blowing the same way it was when we were in New York, so it was kind of perfect. So, just getting that repetition so I won’t drop that again because that’s not my forte.”
Hamler is determined, both in will and words, to prove his value to the team which drafted him 46th overall in the 2020 NFL draft.
“I want to be a playmaker for the team. That’s why I’m always in Teddy’s ear, picking his brain and asking what he would like on certain routes…just being that guy that can go in whenever somebody’s down, whenever somebody needs a break and my coach [can] depend on me and rely on me to do that job and get that job done.”