“He Fits What Sean Payton Can Do in Denver”: Cam Newton Backs Broncos’ Jaylen Waddle Move

At the opening of the NFL’s 2026 legal tampering window on March 9, plenty of star wide receivers were expected to be on the move. Apart from the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, many of them have already found new homes. Just that, Jaylen Waddle wasn’t expected to be one of them.

The Denver Broncos were able to provide an offer for Waddle that the Miami Dolphins just couldn’t refuse during the midst of a rebuild: A first-round draft pick. Fans and analysts alike are split on whether or not the AFC’s 2025 runners-up overpaid for the 27-year-old receiver.

Cam Newton feels it’s hard not to love this addition for the Broncos. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Waddle will be the WR1 in Denver. “I don’t think that a true number one exists anymore,” Newton suggested, before elaborating on Waddle.

“Every great receiver has a counterpart… The league turns over every three to five years… Do I think [Jaylen Waddle] has number one skill? Yes. Can he be a number one? Yes. But I don’t think that’s what he needs. Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle, that tandem right, will give defenses fits. It’ll be the greatest thing for the development of Bo Nix,” he added.

Newton recognizes the “big play potential” of Waddle. He also asserted that the former Dolphin “fits what Sean Payton can do in Denver.” However, the former Carolina Panthers believes that “the game has shifted away” from the concept of featuring just one premier pass catcher. “You’ve got to have some type of variety,” he added.

The advantage here is that the Broncos will now be featuring one of the most potent variety packs of any offense in the league. They are just the fourth team in the NFL today to possess two wide receivers who both managed to finish inside the top 25 in terms of receiving yards last year.

Yes, they have Nix, too, who was able to produce 3,931 passing yards, with Troy Franklin having the second-most receiving yards of any player on the roster. So it’s safe to suggest that the 26-year-old quarterback will finally break through the 4,000+ passing yards mark for the first time in his career in 2026.

Of course, this was likely one of the many reasons why the Broncos were willing to trade away draft capital to acquire Nix in the first place. The sentiment that they would have been the ones to represent the AFC at Super Bowl LX had it not been for a freak injury to Nix’s ankle is still alive and well. The fact that they have retained every single player who saw a 50% or more snap share last season is a sign of the trust they have in last year’s roster.

Simply put, Waddle may not give fans the extra fantasy points. But the WR may still prove to be the missing piece that can get the Broncos over the hump and back into the Super Bowl for the first time since 2016.