The happiest man in Denver right now is Bo Nix.
The Denver Broncos quarterback has a new toy that will make him, the offense, and the team better. The addition of Jaylen Waddle does all of that and more. The trade with the Miami Dolphins is also the first big move of the offseason for the Broncos, and it’s one of the bigger moves made so far, period.
Now, Nix and new Denver offensive coordinator Davis Webb have a proven and versatile receiver. But more than that, Waddle is highly effective.
As this tweet from Matt Harmon notes, Waddle was eighth in first downs per route run among WRs with 200+ routes last season, 12th in yards per route, and 11th in successful targets per route. Harmon adds that Waddle beats man coverage while lining up as an outside receiver on the vast majority of his snaps.
Waddle did this in a Dolphins offense in 2025 that was pretty terrible and had an even worse quarterback.
In terms of the stats, here’s where Waddle sits over the last five seasons:
- #3 in first down rate (46%)
- #10 in success rate (55.5%)
- #11 in EPA/target (+0.37)
- #11 in yards/target (9.3)
- #16 in YAC per reception (5.0)
- #17 in accurate target catch rate (77%)
If that wasn’t enough, there was this from Doug Farrar:
Woo, buddy. Jaylen Waddle adds SO much to Sean Payton’s passing game. Toughness over the middle, vertical juice, route awareness, and the understanding of how to kill zone coverage. Bo Nix must be crying happy tears right now. And Waddle gets a major QB arm improvement.
Coming into the offseason, one of the Broncos’ target areas for improvement was the receiver position. It took a little bit of time, but George Paton and Payton did just that. The addition of Waddle makes Nix, the offense, and the team better. Denver is better now than it was a day ago. The Broncos are better than they were after the loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Waddle changes the dynamic of the receivers and makes that room better. Heck, Courtland Sutton is now a better receiver than he was.
As Luca Evans pointed out about Waddle: absolute difference-maker in profile for the Broncos’ receiver room.
Forty-percent of his receiving yards in ’25 came in the intermediate-center area of the field, per PFF. By comp:
- Courtland Sutton: 13%
- Pat Bryant: 13%
- Marvin Mims: 13%
- Troy Franklin: 7%
Waddle is one of the best receivers in football. For an offense in need of receiver help, this was the move Denver had to make. He brings a level of consistency, effectiveness, and playmaking that the offense has been missing.
It opens up the offense and what Webb and Payton can do on that side of the ball. Hopefully, we don’t see countless screens to Waddle now. That defeats the purpose of trading for a receiver like Waddle.
For those focusing on the “cost.” The Broncos gave up a glorified second-round and third-round pick. No way do you get a player like Waddle at pick No. 30. Denver would also have had to pay more to move up to get a player of value like Waddle, say, the first-round pick from next year.
As Benjamin Sloak said on Twitter: Waddle is so good, man. Too small to be a high-volume WR1, but next to Sutton/on a Broncos offense that always spreads the wealth, he’s just perfect.
The addition of Waddle makes the Broncos better.
The offense is better than it was a season ago. The team is better.
That has to make Nix the happiest guy in Denver.
