Broncos vs. Texans inactives: Week 2

The Denver Broncos will be down a couple of starters in this game, with the biggest name being wide receiver K.J. Hamler. Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett noted on Friday that this is part of maintenance for the young receiver as he works back from a double hip/knee injury last season.

“It’s part of the maintenance,” Hackett said. “We want to be sure that we get him to as many games as we possibly can.”

They want to avoid pushing Hamler too hard and risk losing him again for an extended period of time.

“Yes,” Hackett continued. “We just want to be sure—it’s such a unique deal with what happened to him. He’s been doing some great things, and he’s been getting some great reps. He did well last game. We just want to be sure we have him for the whole season.”

There is no set plan in concrete for how they’ll handle Hamler’s recovery in-season. Hackett said they would play it by ear and be cautious with him to ensure they have him later in the season.

There were a few other surprises from the inactives list. Rookie edge rusher Nik Bonitto is inactive too, along with wide receiver Jalen Virgil, inside linebacker Josey Jewell, defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurkie, and offensive linemen Billy Turner and Quinn Meinerz.

Here is your full inactives list for both the Broncos and the Houston Texans.