Jaylen Waddle clearly unlocks one aspect of Broncos' offense
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Jaylen Waddle clearly unlocks one aspect of Broncos' offense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Denver Broncos will be bringing back most of the same offense in 2026.
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They made one big addition, though: Jaylen Waddle, in a trade from the Miami Dolphins.
As it turns out, Waddle is probably exactly what Denver needed.
For most of the 2025 season, quarterback Bo Nix was effective but not a big-play threat.
With Waddle, the hope is that the Broncos can begin pushing the ball down the field more often.
"Indications are that Nix should be OK in time for training camp coming off the ankle injury, so it's full steam ahead for a team with the highest of aspirations," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote in a new article on Tuesday. "Nix finished 15th in the league in QBR and 28th in yards per attempt last season. So, although he was obviously what the Broncos needed him to be, there's clearly some room for improvement. Waddle could unlock more of Denver's offense, as its receivers ranked 27th in yards per reception last season (11.7). If the addition works out, Nix could have the Broncos right back on the doorstep of the Super Bowl."
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Waddle's addition actually will do something else for Denver, too: It'll reveal Nix's upside.
The Broncos have had talented receivers already, but maybe not on the level of big-play, down-field threat that Waddle is.
Nix has been mostly a play-it-safe guy early in his NFL career, and he's done that really well. But for him to be a high-upside franchise QB, he needs to do more.
Waddle gives him the chance to fully explore that possibility. Is Nix capable of reaching a higher ceiling? Maybe there was no way to know that before. With Waddle aboard, they can figure it out now.