Broncos injuries pile up: KJ Hamler went ‘a few weeks out’, Todd Davis dropped out and more stars drew Thursday

The Denver Broncos are not necessarily the team getting the most preseason hype as a potential sleeper for the playoffs, but they’re up there. Denver has a strong defense that should get stronger with Bradley Chubb returning from injury, and the team may have done more to upgrade its offensive skill position talent this offseason than any other team in the league. After a surprisingly strong showing from Drew Lock down the stretch of last season, there’s some buzz. 

That’s what made Thursday such a disappointing day at Broncos camp. 

Linebacker Todd Davis was carted off the field with what head coach Vic Fangio later said was a calf injury, raising concerns that he re-injured the same body part that caused him to miss time last season. Denver also has Josey Jewell, Alexander Johnson, and rookie Justin Strnad at inside linebacker, but it’s not the deepest position on their roster. 

In addition to Davis, Fangio told reporters that rookie wide receiver K.J. Hamler has a hamstring injury that “will keep him on the shelf for a couple weeks.” Hamler is one of the Broncos’ two rookie wideouts, along with Jerry Jeudy, who will be counted on to help Lock take a step forward in his development. Hamler is the one bringing the deep speed element to the field, which makes a hamstring injury particularly notable. It doesn’t sound that serious, but it’s notable that “a couple weeks” bumps right up against the week before the first game of the season. 

And as if the Davis and Hamler injuries were not enough, both Von Miller and Melvin Gordon were pulled out of practice with injuries as well. Fangio said that Miller “tweaked” his elbow and that Gordon has a rib injury. The severity of those issues isn’t known and there is not yet reason to think they are serious, but it’s a reminder that losing Miller for any length of time, at any point, would obviously change the outlook for this team in a significant way. That’s less true of Gordon due to the presence of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, but the Broncos did go out and sign him despite already having two backs on their roster, so it’s likely that they have plans for him to be a big part of their offense. 

The Broncos obviously have time to get healthier as there are still several weeks before the season begins, but Thursday was not the best day in Denver.