A lot of talk surrounded the Denver Broncos' acquisition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster trade back in March of this year. Many at the time thought Waddle could unlock quarterback Bo Nix and the offense in an instant. In the preseason, Waddle seemed to justify those expectations when his first catch in a Broncos uniform went for 35 yards.
With Denver kicking off their season against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, Waddle was set for a big welcoming party. Instead, Waddle was only targeted three times, with one catch for two yards, and a huge drop on a third down in a 31-10 loss to the Chiefs. Waddle's drop came on a drive where the Broncos were trying to move the ball down the field, and would have picked up a first down had
he caught it. Instead, Denver punted, and on the next Kansas City drive, they scored a touchdown. It was all downhill from there for the Broncos, who never got close the rest of the way.
"I think they just outplayed us," Waddle said postgame, via 9News. "I think they just did a good job of going like that, executing the plays that they needed to and we didn't."
Waddle believes the Broncos can be in every game this season, but they have to be better.
"Going into the game, we always optimistic that we have a good chance of going out there and winning, so when it don't go our way, especially like that, it's definitely a shock," Waddle said.
“It’s definitely a shock.”
— Scotty Gange (@Scotty_G6) September 15, 2026
Postgame with #Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle. pic.twitter.com/4VN0AYudyU
Waddle is searching for the fourth 1,000-yard receiving season of his career. Two yards every game won't do that. Waddle and the Broncos look to bounce back in a big way against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 on Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Jaylen Waddle reacts to ‘shock’ result of first game with Broncos
