Buffalo Bills WR KJ Hamler looking forward to fresh start

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) – The reality in the Buffalo Bills wide receiver room is that quarterback Josh Allen has only thrown for one target in a game. So the offense has a lot of work to do before the new season.

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“Sometimes it clicks right away for some guys,” Allen said. “It might take one season; for some guys it might take three seasons.”

Receiver KJ Hamler, who signed with the Bills in January, hopes to be one of the receivers who adapts quickly to Buffalo’s offense.

“My dad always told me when I was in little league, ‘Every time you’re on the field, I know we can win,’” Hamler said.

Hamler’s father instilled in him the mindset that he still uses today at every opportunity he gets on the field.

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However, the speedy 2020 second-round pick suffered numerous injuries that cut short his career.

“I had a pectoral, I had two ACLs, I had a dislocated hip. The dislocated hip and the ACL happened at the same time,” Hamler said.

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His time with the Denver Broncos ended with a type of injury the young receiver never saw coming.

“It was the first day of camp. We had just moved into the hotel and this pain woke me up at four in the morning and I had to drive to the hospital,” Hamler said.

That’s when Hamler’s doctors diagnosed him with a heart condition called pericarditis.

It’s something the 24-year-old treats daily with medication; however, this does not slow him down.

“You know I’m still here. Going into fifth grade is a blessing because I could have finished things from the heart,” Hamler said.

Hamler said he’s more locked in than ever. He knows that if he wants to try to earn a spot on Buffalo’s team, he will have to overshadow players like Chase Claypool, Justin Shorter, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, the list goes on.

If you ask Hamler, he’s up for some friendly competition against a group of athletes he respects.

“I always play big, with a chip on my shoulder. I’ve been an underdog my whole life, so I come here hungry,” Hamler said.

The Penn State product is determined to see the field for the first time since 2022.

“I want to be one of the greats. I know four years have gone by, but that’s not how you start, that’s how you finish,” Hamler said.