ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Teddy Bridgewater and KJ Hamler are more than just teammates. More than just a potentially-lethal passing combination, even. They’re neighbors in the Denver Broncos’ locker room.
And they’re next to each other because Bridgewater wanted it that way.
Approximately one week after the Broncos concluded a 3-0 preseason, Hamler found his locker was right next to that of his quarterback. The request, Hamler said, was made by Bridgewater himself.
“He told the guys (in the Broncos’ equipment department) to move my locker next to him just so he can take me under his wing,” Hamler said.
“I never had that before. I’ve never been next to my quarterback. I’m always talking to him, picking his brain.”
And Bridgewater is always there to help Hamler — including after his third-quarter drop in the end zone last Sunday against the New York Giants. Bridgewater wasted no time reaching out to the second-year wide receiver to pick up his morale.
“He was just very calm, relaxed,” Hamler said, “and just keeping my head up. Even though I’m hard on myself, I wish I could still get that one back, but you just have to move on from that play.”
As Bridgewater recalled, his message to Hamler was simple:
‘Hey, man, don’t worry; it’s all right, we’ll hit the next one.”
On the next possession, he did. Bridgewater shook free and hit Hamler on third-and-8 at the right sideline for a 22-yard gain.
“Then he comes up big for us on third down,” Bridgewater said. “It’s a game where you have to have short memory.”
That short memory provided the thrust that resuscitated the next drive, prevented a three-and-out and ultimately helped the Broncos to a field goal, extending their lead to 20-7.
And with Jerry Jeudy on injured reserve because of a high-ankle sprain, the Broncos will need Hamler to deliver more than ever — and they’ll need Bridgewater to provide the support to keep Hamler’s chin up if he has another drop.
“Teddy’s a real positive dude,” Hamler said. “We could mess up in practice and he’ll come over and coach you right away or he’ll tell you how he wants the routes—stuff like that. So, just being coachable with Teddy, just learning from him.
“He’s been in the league eight or nine years right now, and it’s my second year. I’m not going to not listen to the guy that’s been in the league for that long. He’s seen a lot, he’s been through a lot. I’ll always listen to him.”
And Bridgewater’s advice to Hamler will boil down to this: Just be the player you’re capable of being.
“We don’t need him to come in and try to be something that he’s not, and he doesn’t have to try to pretend to be something that he’s not,” Bridgewater said. “If KJ can be the best version of KJ, he’ll help this offense go, and he’ll continue to grow in this system and in this league.”
“He just has to have the mindset that I can’t wait for the next one to go catch that one,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio added. “All the great ones have had their dropped passes. It’s how you react to them.”
Sunday, thanks to an assist from his locker-room neighbor, Hamler reacted as well as the Broncos could have hoped.
