Broncos WR KJ Hamler suffers torn pec

Injuries have been a constant for KJ Hamler, and another setback will cost him several months this offseason. While training on his own recently, Hamler ran into a setback that will sideline him for months.

The Denver wide receiver sustained a partially torn pectoral muscle during a recent training session, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Hamler underwent surgery and is expected to miss between four and six months. This timeline could affect Hamler’s availability for training camp or even the start of the season.

Hamler, 23, only played in seven games last season and has not eclipsed 200 receiving yards in a campaign since his 2020 rookie slate. The Broncos became the first team since the 2003 Cardinals to draft wide receivers in the first and second rounds. While the first-round pick (Jerry Jeudy) is trending upward and generating immense trade interest, Hamler (2020’s No. 46 overall pick) has seen his career stall.

This injury occurred away from the team’s facility earlier this month, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. This could move Hamler to the Broncos’ NFI list to start training camp. A reserve/NFI list designation would cost Hamler four games to start the season. That would be familiar territory for the Penn State-developed speedster.

Hamler, who did not work out at the 2020 combine due to injury, missed four games as a rookie. He missed 14 in 2021 because of a torn ACL and a hip injury that also required surgery. Hamler went down in Week 3 of the ’21 season, and the elusive pass catcher detailed bouts with depression after suffering those setbacks. A hamstring injury midway through last season led Hamler to IR, sidelining him for the second half of the Broncos’ 5-12 slate.

Now in a contract year, Hamler will miss Sean Payton’s first offseason program. Hamler came up in trade rumors before his hamstring injury last year, but his run of injuries will effectively nix notions of Denver moving the fourth-year player. With Tim Patrick coming off an ACL tear, Jeudy and Courtland Sutton have been the Bronco receivers most commonly thrown into trade rumors. The Broncos have set a high price for Jeudy, as evidenced by the Cowboys and Browns — each interested parties — moving on via respective trades for Brandin Cooks and Elijah Moore.