Jaylen Waddle trade revisited: Bo Nix, Broncos struggling to integrate speedy WR who's also dropping passes

Neither the Denver passing offense nor Waddle are playing well

Oct 16, 2026 at 2:26 pm ET • 5 min read

In Bo Nix's preseason debut this year -- his first football game since breaking his ankle -- he rifled a ball to Jaylen Waddle, who had won on a vertical route up the middle of the field. Waddle caught it and sped away from his defender, a 35-yard gain. The Denver crowd erupted, even for a preseason game. This is what they had wanted so badly, the missing piece for a team that was on the doorstep of a Super Bowl berth last year.

Denver needed explosiveness. Waddle brought it in bunches. This was the start of a beautiful marriage.

Or, maybe not.

After another eyesore offensive performance from Denver in which Waddle was hardly involved (four catches, 24 yards), we revisit the deal this offseason that came with seemingly so much promise ... and wonder if Waddle and Nix can get on track.

The trade

• Broncos receive: WR Jaylen Waddle, 2026 fourth-round pick (T Kage Casey)
• Dolphins receive: 2026 first-round pick (used in trade up to draft CB Chris Johnson), 2026 third-round pick (WR Chris Bell), 2026 fourth-round pick (EDGE Trey Moore)

The Dolphins were in the midst of a massive teardown that included the release of Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb. Miami, 27, was neither as old as Hill or Chubb nor as costly as Tagovailoa, but Miami opted to wipe the slate as clean as possible, and Denver seemed to be the perfect home.

• Denver ranked 27th in average depth of target when throwing to wide receivers last year (7.4 yards). Waddle was at 13.1.
• Waddle averaged 14.1 yards per catch last year; only one Denver wide receiver, Courtland Sutton was over 11.

Adding the speed and explosiveness of Waddle to a group that included a big-bodied possession receiver (Sutton) and several ancillary pieces was going to unlock Nix, the Broncos thought.

Bo Nix not helping Jaylen Waddle, Jaylen Waddle not helping himself

The supposed "perfect combination" has actually been, for the most part early this season, very little combination. Through six games, Waddle has 22 catches for 228 yards and one touchdown. His 10.4 yards per reception are on pace to be his worst number since his rookie year.

Jaylen Waddle this season		On pace for career worst?
Receptions per game	3.67	Yes
Receiving yards per game	38	Yes
First down rate	41%	Yes
Catch rate	58%	Yes

Waddle has played a large role in that last line. He has four drops already this season after three all of last year. He came to Denver with a 6.1% career drop rate (which already wasn't great), but he is at a very bad 10.8% this year.

The preseason wasn't the only false hope. After a brutal Week 1 in which pretty much everything went wrong for Denver, Waddle caught eight of 10 targets for 138 yards against the Jaguars, showing off his full skill set. He caught a 49-yarder downfield. He made catches on in-breaking routes, something he did so well in Miami. He showed off his YAC ability, and he absolutely roasted Jourdan Lewis for a crucial third-down conversion. Sean Payton talked up the need to get him the football. It seemed like all was on track.

Outside of the Jaguars game, Waddle's longest catch is 13 yards. Three of his five targets 20+ yards downfield came in the Jaguars game; the other two are an underthrow and a near-interception into double coverage. And the frustration spilled over in Week 5, when Nix checked into a run play on third and long.

Nix's passing tendencies have bordered on playing not to lose, rather than playing to win. His average throw travels 4.9 yards downfield, not only the shortest in the NFL this season but also the shortest by any quarterback through six games in the last 20 years. He simply is not even attempting to hit Waddle in the intermediate and deep areas where Waddle thrives.

Furthermore, it's not as if Waddle hasn't been open. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Waddle has an average separation of 3.9 yards, the 11th-highest rate in the league and much higher than his mark last year (2.7).

Remember all those fun downfield routes Waddle got against the Jaguars? Here's what his seven targeted routes looked like Thursday.

Of course, this was on a short week and just the second week since Sean Payton took playcalling duties back from Davis Webb. But there is a clear disconnect between what Waddle provides, what Nix wants to throw and what the coaching staff trusts Nix to do. One clip going around is Nix opting against firing a downfield throw to Waddle to instead throw a dump-off that gets knocked down. Like in Week 4, Waddle is not happy after the play.

It's not like the work is being funneled elsewhere. The entire passing attack is bad. Waddle leads all Broncos with 228 receiving yards and is nearly 100 yards ahead of the next-closest wide receiver (Pat Bryant, 133).

At some point, Nix has to push the ball downfield. It will take a combination of his willingness and the staff scheming more downfield throws Nix is comfortable with -- his comfort level is clearly very low right now -- but this isn't close to the Waddle anyone expected. There's blame to share.

It's also not worth writing off 100%. Waddle's drops are at a career-worst rate. Nix's downfield throwing is at a career-worst rate. We'd like to see more chances for Waddle on in-breaking routes -- he has just four receptions on ins, crossers, slants and posts -- and a greater willingness for Nix to throw them. The play-calling has been mixed, and Nix still doesn't look like himself. Maybe more time removed from the ankle injury, which sapped much of his offseason, will help. It's been concerning, but the season is only one-third of the way done.

Too early to know about Dolphins' return

Just like it's early for Denver, it's early for Miami. In the grand scheme, it's much, much earlier, even. The Dolphins aren't likely to contend for ... a while. Assessing how they did in this trade will take ... a while.

Miami and its youngsters are taking their lumps this season, as expected, but they have shown some good signs. Chris Johnson is PFF's No. 21-graded cornerback, just behind some bigger names such as Devon Witherspoon, Quinyon Mitchell and Travis Hunter.

Johnson's 6.1 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender ranks 24th out of 74 defensive backs targeted at least 20 times, and his 8.6 yards per completion allowed is 11th. There is a lot to like here.

It's even earlier for Chris Bell, an explosive wide receiver with borderline first-round talent who fell to the third round after a torn ACL. He has just five catches on 16 routes, but those five catches have gone for 92 yards. Again, patience is required.

Moore unfortunately suffered an ankle injury in the preseason and had to undergo surgery. He is still on IR.