Projecting KJ Hamler's Impact on the Broncos' Offense in 2020

Excitement has mounted in the Mile High City around the offense that GM John Elway has constructed around second-year quarterback Drew Lock. Since the Denver Broncos' ended the 2019 season, Elway has procured a starting right guard in Graham Glasgow and a backup, blocking tight end in Nick Vannett via free agency.

In the NFL Draft, Elway went all-in on offense, drafting wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in back-to-back rounds, as well as a day-one starter at center in Lloyd Cushenberry and one of Lock's old teammates at Mizzou — tight end Albert Okwuegbunam — who happens to run faster than 2019 first-rounder Noah Fant.

For depth purposes, Elway hedged later in the draft by selecting high-upside offensive guard Netane Muti and one last WR just to be sure with Denver's second-to-last pick in the draft — Tyrie Cleveland. The Broncos went from 0-to-60 offensively and now boast one of the most talented young groups in the NFL.

However, because there's a new offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur, it makes it all the harder to try and project exactly how all the pieces will fit together. Combined with Lock's still relative inexperience, there's simply a lot we don't know.

We don't have a crystal ball but the oddsmakers and fantasy experts will have to serve as the next-best thing. As it relates to today's subject, the question I'm pondering is what will Hamler's impact on this unit be in 2020?

With Courtland Sutton and Jeudy projected as the Broncos' two starters on the outside, Hamler is still penciled in as a starter because Shurmur runs 11-personnel (3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE) as his base offense. That means that Hamler, probably working out of the slot for the most part, is going to see a lot of snaps.

But will that translate into a lot of touches? I'm not sure that it will initially. It's going to take time for Shurmur to fit all the puzzle pieces in place and for this unit that is going to feature so many new faces to gel.

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There are a lot of mouths to feed suddenly in Denver and it's a good problem to have. As a fantasy prospect, I concur with SI's Jaime Eisner who views Hamler as a kind of best-ball 'what-the-heck' type of flex option.

Shurmur will utilize Hamler's speed to take the top off the defense and loosen things up underneath for Sutton, Fant, and Jeudy. Lock will have to take a few deep shots to Hamler, and connect on a fair amount, in order for the full effect of the speed threat to impact defenses.

Hamler might not initially be consistent enough to have real fantasy value but from an actual football perspective, it would be my priority — if I were calling the shots alongside Shurmur — to figure out how to get Hamler a minimum of 3-to-5 quality touches per game.

Those touches wouldn't have to be exclusively deep shots, obviously. As our Carl Dumler recently uncovered in a film breakdown on Hamler, he can be utilized in a variety of ways to keep defenses on their heels — from jet-sweeps, to motioning into the backfield and carrying the ball like a running back, to bubble screens, slants and crossers.

How it'll add up statistically is anyone's best guess. So much is contingent on Lock's development. We don't yet know exactly how efficient Lock can be over the course of a 16-game sample size but based on what I saw in those five starts last year, I'm confident he'll be able to maximize the talent upgrades Elway provided.

All in, if Hamler can come away with something like 35-50 receptions, throwing in a few carries here and there, it could add up to something like 500-700 yards and 3-5 touchdowns. But that's if everything really comes together for Shurmur perfectly.

Sutton's got to get his, as does Jeudy and Fant. In the passing game, it's going to be a pick-your-poison proposition for defenses. Lock really will have an embarrassment of riches at his disposal.

Factoring in the Pro Bowl RB tandem of Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon and it's easy to get excited about what the future holds for this offense. Like all Broncos fans, I can't wait to see how it takes shape.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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