Good morning, Broncos Country!
After the start of NFL free agency, the Denver Broncos had yet to make a move. Let alone a significant move.
There was bewilderment. The Broncos brought back a lot (most) of the players from last year’s team, but no outside moves.
Then the trade with the Miami Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle was announced, and all was right with the world. This move was one of the biggest and boldest moves of the offseason. The addition of one of the best receivers in the NFL to the Broncos’ offense makes that unit and the team
better.
It’s the exact kind of move just about everyone expected Denver to make … even if it was a few weeks in the making.
“We went into this, and we were prepared to be aggressive if we thought that there was an opportunity,” Broncos CEO Greg Penner said at the league meetings earlier this week. “At the same time, we weren’t going to be aggressive just to be aggressive. We love the guys that we have in our locker room and on our team. It’s a strong core and a really good fit. The bar was high if we were going to go get someone in free agency that we thought could be a better addition.
“The opportunistic part was when we saw something to take a big swing (on), we were going to be willing to take a big swing. That is what we did with the Waddle trade. All of our interactions with him so far have been terrific. We think that he has all the aspects that are important to us. Obviously, he is a tremendous playmaker, but also a great locker room guy. He has grit, professionalism, and a high level of intellectual-ness around football and his performance.”
As to what Waddle brings to the offense and the team, Broncos GM George Paton said Waddle makes the receiver room better. Even before the trade for Waddle, Paton and the franchise really liked the receiver room of Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Pat Bryant, and Troy Franklin.
“He is one of the more explosive playmakers in the league, first and foremost,” Paton said at the league meetings. “(He has) great makeup and (is) a great competitor. He will fit in well with our room. We have a great room, and he just upgrades … or he just helps the room. He opens up the run game, and he will open it up for the other receivers, so we think he will fit in well with the group.”
While it’s too early to know for sure what Waddle will bring to the Broncos and his immediate impact, it’s not too early to get excited about such a significant move.
The addition of Waddle makes a team that was a game away from the Super Bowl better.
“I told George (Paton) this the other day, that morning when the first sort of the rumors started to percolate, I got a text from Andrew Gaasch, the President of CommonSpirit, and he was excited about it,“ Broncos president Damani Leech said at the league meetings. ”My day started with that, and I ended my day with a board meeting at the Boys and Girls Clubs. The board — that is all they wanted to talk about — was about Jaylen Waddle. A lot of excitement about the direction of the football program and what Sean (Payton) and George are doing.”
