Buffalo Rumblings
The former second-round pick enters his second season with the Bills
The Buffalo Bills have a pretty clear pecking order at wide receiver. There are four or five players who feel like locks for the 53-man roster, and then there are some other players who could be close if some of those “locks” either falter or suffer an injury.
The Bills have a diverse set of receivers, as well, as they have some quick, shifty types, some long-speed burners, and some big-bodied types whose job is to make contested catches. It’s clear that general manager Brandon Beane has tried to put a room together that complements each other’s skill sets.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss one of those quicker folks trying to make the 53-man roster at wide receiver.
Name: K.J. Hamler
Number: 19
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 5’9”, 178 pounds
Age: 26 (27 on 7/8/2026)
Experience/Draft: 4; selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round (No. 46 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft
College: Penn State
Acquired: Originally signed with Bills on 1/20/2024
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Hamler signed a one-year reserve/future contract on January 28, 2025. That deal is worth $1.108 million, which is also his cap hit if he makes the 53-man roster. Buffalo would carry a dead-cap charge of $8,000 if he’s released, which is also the total guaranteed money on the deal.
2024 Recap: Hamler appeared in all three of Buffalo’s preseason games last year. He caught five of his six targets for 29 yards. He also rushed three times for 21 yards. The Bills used Hamler as a kickoff returner and as a punt returner, as well. He returned one punt for 15 yards and two kickoffs for a total of 21 yards in the exhibition games.
At the end of the preseason, Hamler was released and he signed to the Bills’ practice squad. That’s where he remained for the duration of the season, as he did not appear in a regular-season game.
Positional outlook: Hamler is one of 13 wideouts on the current roster, a list that includes Stephen Gosnell, Kelly Akhariyi, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, Joshua Palmer, Kaden Prather, Tyrell Shavers, Kristian Wilkerson, and Laviska Shenault Jr. are the others.
2025 Offseason: Hamler is healthy and participating in training camp so far.
2025 Season outlook: Barring some injuries or something crazy happening, I don’t see a situation where Hamler makes the team this year. The quick, smaller wideout making waves in camp is Elijah Moore, not Hamler, and the Bills have other players who are definitely ahead of Hamler on the depth chart.
If those players are healthy, then the team is very unlikely to keep Hamler. However, if some of them are injured — Curtis Samuel is currently dealing with a hamstring injury and Tyrell Shavers was carted off with an ankle injury on Sunday — there’s a chance he could be the last man standing.
Realistically, Hamler is fighting...
