Heading out from a disheartening season with a record of 5-12-0, the Denver Broncos wide receiver room experienced bad news regarding their veteran player KJ Hamler prior to the season.
The Broncos have been hoping for a strong start to the season with the help of Sean Payton’s offense and a revived Russell Wilson. Unfortunately, it is now clear that they must waive Hamler due to a serious health condition for which his continued performance in the field would be impossible.
What happened to Broncos WR KJ Hamler? Explained
The receiver has been identified with pericarditis after undergoing surgery for a partially torn pectoral muscle sustained during off-season training. The player reported experiencing chest pains while exercising he shared in a post on Instagram. After getting checked out, it was determined that he had mild heart irritation. He then announced that he would take a little time off to handle this.
The 24-year-old made a veiled reference to his return as soon as he would feel secure and fit enough to make a run on the field while being better and stronger than ever.
“I will be back on the field — better and stronger than ever — as soon as possible this season! I feel great physically and this is very frustrating for me to deal with,” he wrote on Instagram.
Update: #Broncos WR KJ Hamler has been diagnosed with mild heart irritation called pericarditis.
Hamler says his chest was hurting during workouts and was later diagnosed after getting it checked.
Hopefully Hamler will be fine in the long-term and it doesn't impact his NFL… pic.twitter.com/NZuqftCIfD
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 31, 2023
The wide receiver has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries, and in addition to dealing with on-field issues, he also experienced off-field struggles that he also noted in the article.
“I know most of you have heard or know of my story and these past few years what I’ve been going through on and off the field. It’s tough to deal with this when I was ready for a breakout year, but adversity is nothing new to me.”
The Broncos selected KJ with the 46th overall choice in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The official announced on Monday that they temporarily waived the player due to his non-professional ailment.
Potential options for Broncos to choose after WR KJ Hamler’s medical situation
Hamler pointed out that it was not his farewell from the national football league in his post urging that he would make a potential comeback soon as it would be remarked as a short break to build up his health.
“This is not a farewell, this is not a goodbye, this is a see you soon as I take a break for my health.”
The situation has turned into a nightmare for the squad, though as Tim Patrick also tore his Achilles on the same day and was expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious injury during training camp.
Dov Kleiman claims that the team has access to other senior receivers in the free agent market, including Julio Jones, Kenny Golladay, T. Y. Hilton, Mohamed Sanu, Sammy Watkins, N’Keal Harry, Rashard Higgins, and Preston Williams.
With Tim Patrick believed to be out for the season and KJ Hamler having a medical issue.
Here are some free-agent WRs the #Broncos can sign:
Julio Jones
Jarvis Landry
Kenny Golladay
T. Y. Hilton
Mohamed Sanu
Sammy Watkins
N'Keal Harry
Rashard Higgins
Preston Williams
Amari… https://t.co/o7tabFVhRu pic.twitter.com/KGY1nwBDf5— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 31, 2023
Other than them, the Broncos squad has engaged in a great deal of trade negotiations with players like Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Marvin Mims, Jr., Payton’s second-round pick in 2023, might potentially fill the void once more. However, this raises some doubts because Marvin was absent from the first few days of training camp due to a hamstring injury.
The Broncos’ new voyage under Sean Payton has been given a difficult look at this point. Although KJ intended to make a strong recovery soon, it would be crucial to discuss how he can get ready to run again.
