Report: Broncos WR KJ Hamler Could Start Training Camp on PUP List
Although no concern exists over his Week 1 status, the Denver Broncos might opt to handle wide receiver KJ Hamler with kid gloves when training camp opens July 27.
Hamler is a candidate for the Physically Unable to Perform List, according to Denver7's Troy Renck, echoing previous reporting on the third-year pass-catcher.
Hamler sustained a pair of devastating injuries — a torn ACL and dislocated hip — during Week 3 of last season, nearly nine months ago. He would miss the remaining 14 games and was considered questionable for the start of the 2022 offseason program.
But the former second-round draft pick attacked his rehabilitation, even attending new quarterback Russell Wilson's impromptu March passing camp. In May, Hamler declared himself "well ahead of schedule" and "in a good spot" physically.
“I think the mental part really wasn’t a factor because I’ve already been through it," Hamler said on May 11, referencing the torn ACL he suffered in high school. "I wasn’t starting from scratch; I was starting from experience. When people saw me running routes at 19-20 miles per hour at seven months [post-surgery] and I’m running 25-yard out [routes]—it’s a mentality. 20 percent of it is mental. Once you get past that point, it’s fine. I wasn’t scared to get out there and run any routes or cut any type of way. I just tried to do it how I used to, and it felt normal.”
Under the watchful eye of Denver's medical staff, Hamler was primarily limited to individual drills amid Organized Team Activities and minicamp practices. But there was little reason to push it; the goal is full health and the target date remains Sept. 12.
Hamler is locked into a roster spot — the No. 4 WR behind Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Tim Patrick — and, upon a clean bill of health, will function as Wilson's token deep threat this fall.
"Just looking at him when I first got here, I was surprised to a certain extent that he was going to do routes versus air," head coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday. "Just to watch him be out there and be able to run is really great. We’ll be smart with him and make sure that we get him ready."
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