Patriots Advised To Sign 24-Year-Old WR With Heart Condition

The New England Patriots need all the help they can get at this point of the regular season and head coach Bill Belichick better sign a WR or two. New England has a 2-7 record and no one is happy about it. There’s a growing speculation about Belichick’s potential firing and Mac Jones may not stick around for too long. Of course, this is just a speculation until shown otherwise.

Bleacher Report discussed one potential option for the Patriots. They could get former second-round draft pick K.J. Hamler from the Indianapolis Colts. He is part of their practice unit at the moment and getting him comes with a great challenge. Hamler deals with pericarditis in the offseason and had to stay on the sideline for a while.

“Barring a miracle, the Patriots aren’t playing themselves into playoff contention,” Bleacher Report wrote on Monday. “So the best path forward from a roster management standpoint would be to target some under-the-radar players who could wind up being part of the long-term plan.”

Patriots have to sign a WR to save the season

Hamler joined the NLF as the 46^th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He saw action in 13 games with the Denver Broncos and was able to catch 30 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns. Things didn’t go well after he tore his ACL in the second year and missed the remainder of the season.

That’s not all. Hamler also treated hamstring issues throughout the 2022 NFL season. In March 2022, he tore his pectoral muscle and was diagnosed with the heart condition. Denver cut ties with him in the offseason.

It may seem serious, but Hamler was an optimist. He promised to make the field again.

“I will be back on the field—better and stronger than ever—as soon as possible this season! I feel great physically and this is very frustrating for me to deal with. … It’s tough to deal with this when I was ready for a breakout year, but adversity is nothing new to me. I have been through hell and back, but it’s hard to reach paradise if you don’t go through hell first. I’ll get past this just like everything else on this journey!”

The Patriots could use a new name at this point. Kendrick Bourne deals with a knee injury and DeVante Parker suffered a concussion. Tyquan Thornton has a history of injuries as well. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee is also a reason to be concerned right now.

“Hamler is a 2020 second-round pick who just couldn’t break the rotation in Denver,” Bleacher Report added. “At 24 years old, he still has the potential to turn things around and become a viable slot receiver.”