Denver Broncos Offense Loses WRs Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler For Foreseeable Future
Two injuries to the Broncos' wideout group on Monday punched the Denver offense square in the gut.
Broncos Lose Two Major WRs: Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler
A ton of offseason buzz floats around Denver's rebooted offense under first-year head coach Sean Payton. The offense will now brace for the start of the season without wide receivers Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler — two high-expectation players hampered by injury.
First is Tim Patrick, who suffered an Achilles injury, just a year after tearing his ACL.
READ: RISING BRONCOS WR TIM PATRICK CARTED OFF DURING PRACTICE (2022)
Tim Patrick went down on a non-contact play on Monday.
Patrick, whose first two seasons in Mile High stirred light buzz, is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
The young talent put in work for the Broncos from 2020 to 2021: racking up 104 receptions for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns. Patrick signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension in 2021.
Next Man Up In Mile High
Shortly after Tim Patrick's devastating injury, news broke that Broncos wideout K.J. Hamler would step away from the team to undergo surgery for a heart disorder.
Denver drafted Hamler in the second round of the 2020 draft.
The WR had been recovering from a torn pectoral injury in March while working out away from the team.
Hamler announced his pericarditis diagnosis via Instagram on Monday afternoon. Pericarditis is inflammation around the heart that can range from mild pain to life-threatening.
"After feeling some chest pains while working out on the break before camp started, I got everything checked out and was diagnosed with mild heart irritation, called pericarditis.
"I’ve got a great treatment plan with medicine and am taking a quick break to get this all taken care of so I can get back to doing what I love."
The Broncos haven't ruled out bringing back Hamlin in "weeks." Hamler's status is unknown for the foreseeable future.
Still left on the WR depth chart are top receiving options Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. The Broncos' cast of receivers is full of no-names after their two primary options.
Sean Payton, quarterback Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense face an uphill battle after Monday's respective losses.
Without a running game firmly in play for Denver, the Broncos will have to boost their receivers' room before the season starts or get every ounce of juice they can from Jeudy and Sutton.
Top WR options immediately available to the Broncos include free agents Jarvis Landry and Julio Jones.
Expect a rollercoaster year for the Broncos offense.