At the opening of the NFL’s 2026 legal tampering window, plenty of big-name wide receivers were expected to be on the move, and apart from the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, many of them already have. It’s just that Jaylen Waddle wasn’t expected to be one of them, but the Denver Broncos were able to provide an offer that the Miami Dolphins just couldn’t refuse during the midst of a rebuild, a first-round draft pick.
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Fans and analysts alike are split on whether or not the AFC’s 2025 runner-ups overpaid for the 27-year-old receiver, but according to Cam Newton, it’s hard not to love this addition for the Broncos. Although that doesn’t inherently mean that Waddle will be the “WR1” in Denver.
“I don’t think that a true number one exists anymore,” Newton suggested. “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.”
Despite his willingness to recognize the “big play potential” of Waddle, as well as his assertion that the former Dolphin “fits what Sean Payton can do in Denver,” Newton simply believes that “the game has shifted away” from the concept of featuring just one premier pass catcher. In other words, “You’ve got to have some type of variety.”
Conveniently enough for them, however, the Broncos will now be featuring one of the most potent variety packs of any offense in the league. Denver is now 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.
And when you pair that with the fact that Nix was able to produce 3,931 passing yards with Troy Franklin having the second most receiving yards of any player on the roster, it seems relatively safe to suggest that the 26-year-old 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 a trove of draft capital to acquire him 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, as indicated by their retaining of every single player who saw a 50% or more snap share last season.
Simply put, he may not give you the extra fantasy points that you’re looking for, but Waddle 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.
