Getty The Broncos have made a few adjustments to KJ Hamler's rookie contract for 2023.
The Denver Broncos are reworking the contract of one of their more injury-prone wide receivers ahead of next month’s start to 2023 training camp.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Broncos agreed to a “slightly tweaked” final year of wide receiver KJ Hamler’s rookie contract, keeping his base salary ($1.583 million) the same for 2023 but adding an additional $417,000 in receiving incentives for him. The Broncos also added an injury component to Hamler’s contract that “eases the cap implications” for the team if he lands on injured reserve with a specific injury.
The injury safeguard is a smart one for the Broncos to include in Hamler’s restructure as the former second-round pick has missed 24 games over the past two seasons due to injuries. He also partially tore his pectoral muscle during his individual offseason training and underwent surgery to repair it in March which is expected to keep him sidelined for between four and six months, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Hamler is heading into a potentially career-defining season with the Broncos in 2023. He showed promise as a rookie, catching 30 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns over 13 games in 2020, but the injuries in his subsequent two seasons have kept him from becoming a meaningful part of the Broncos’ receiving rotation. Now, he sits on the roster bubble and could need a strong showing in camp to avoid the chopping block.
KJ Hamler’s Restructure Does Not Guarantee Him a Place on the Broncos’ Active Roster for the New Year
Hamler’s restructure, on the surface, might appear to some as a sort of guarantee that he will make the Broncos’ 53-man roster so long as he can stay healthy through camp, but there is still quite a bit for the young receiver to prove to Denver’s new coaches.
Hamler — who turns 24 in about a week — has shown in past seasons that he has tools that can be useful in the Broncos’ receiving arsenal. His speed is his cornerstone, using it to help him gain meaningful separation on his routes and slip behind defenders. Even in his limited opportunities in 2022 (seven catches for 165 yards on 14 targets), he was able to flash his potential as one of Russell Wilson’s deep-threat weapons.
The receiver room is getting crowded, though, and the people who drafted Hamler are long gone from Denver’s front office. Right now, the optimistic projection for Hamler is slotting in as the No. 4 receiver behind Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, but a disappointing camp could cause him to slide further. The Broncos also signed Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey — both of whom played under new head coach Sean Payton in New Orleans — and used their top overall draft pick in 2023 (No. 63 overall) on Oklahoma standout wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr.
Even with a more team-friendly contract structure, Hamler must still prove in the preseason battlegrounds that he is decidedly better than at least one of them.
Broncos May Prefer to Turn to Marvin Mims Jr. as Their New Deep-Threat Weapon for 2023 Campaign
Hamler has averaged 14.8 yards per reception over his 23 career games for the Broncos and has the potential to take the top off of defenses when he gets going, but someone else who can do that? Mims, the Broncos’ latest second-round receiver investment.
Mims touts a similar build to Hamler, standing two inches taller than the latter, and flashed a similar deep-threat ability to him over his three seasons with the Sooners. He clocked the fourth-fastest 40 time at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine (4.38 seconds) and averaged an impressive 19.5 yards per reception over his 123 catches in college, a number that exceeds 20 yards per reception when looking only at his final two seasons.
This is what you’re getting in Marvin Mims, Broncos Country.
Now, it is fair to question how quickly Mims will work himself into the fold for the Broncos as a rookie who is still making the adjustment to the NFL level, but he could get a leg up if Hamler isn’t recovered in time for the beginning of training camp. And if that happens, Hamler might not have the time to make up ground in his roster hunt.