Jaylen Waddle Trade Elevates Broncos to ‘Championship Caliber,’ Claim Analyst

The Miami Dolphins are cleaning house, and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was the latest victim of that rebuild.

Jaylen Waddle Trade Elevates Broncos to ‘Championship Caliber,’ Claim Analyst

Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix (Image via Dov Kleiman/ML Football/X)

In Short
  • Broncos trade for WR Jaylen Waddle, receiving him and a 4th-round pick from the Dolphins.
  • Miami acquires the Broncos' 1st-round pick and additional late-round picks in the deal.
  • Analyst Dan Orlovsky claims Waddle elevates the Broncos to championship caliber with his speed.

After the Miami Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, franchise fans felt Jaylen Waddle was going to get his chance to cement his role as the de facto No. 1 receiver.

The franchise was heading into a rebuild and wanted to shed most of its expensive contracts. However, the team still needed a top receiver to catch the ball. That is where the 27-year-old made sense.

After all, in Hill’s shadow, the Alabama alum still managed to post impressive numbers, and that was going to help the Dolphins enter this new era under new leadership.

However, they felt that to continue this rebuild, they also needed to let go of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, absorbing his NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money. A few moves later, it was time for Jaylen Waddle’s turn.

Broncos are trading for Miami WR Jaylen Waddle, per source.
Denver receives: Waddle and Dolphins’ 4th-round pick (11th in round) in this year’s draft.
Miami receives: Broncos’ 1st round pick (30th overall) along with their late 3rd and 4th round picks (30th in each round) in this year’s draft.

Adam Schefter revealed on X

As soon as news trickled into everyone’s notifications, it became apparent that the Denver Broncos might have overpaid. However, this expensive addition vaults them into Super Bowl contention, as per Dan Orlovsky.

This is a championship caliber roster… Jaylen Waddle’s a 1. This makes so much sense for Denver.

Dan Orlovsky said

The ESPN analyst pointed out, while on NFL Live, that even though the Broncos have a good offense, Waddle elevates their play up a notch. For that, he does not think that the franchise overpaid.

Dan Orlovksy believes Jaylen Waddle is Broncos’ ‘missing piece’

Orlovsky is not just talking about the Denver Broncos and how Jaylen Waddle can impact the team based on the draft compensation. Earlier, he pointed out how the WR gives them another dimension.

Bo Nix and HC Sean Payton will have an even better roster next season
Bo Nix and HC Sean Payton will have an even better roster next season (Image via Adam Schefter/X)

Love this for Denver. It was the missing piece for their football team, specifically on offense. Speed wide receiver… They have Courtland Sutton, who is a big-bodied receiver, and they have some good players… They needed a true wide receiver with speed.

Dan Orlovsky said

The former quarterback believes that the Texas native’s speed will add a bit of sizzle to the Broncos’ offense, which was often predictable and stagnant.

Orlovsky knows that the team already has good players, but Jaylen Waddle could make them better when opposing teams have to look out for him leaking out behind them.

On the other hand, the analyst believes that this is a good move for the wideout, as he is leaving a team that is clearly in a rebuild and will take time before they start to become competitive.

Dolphins to absorb record dead-cap hits after Jaylen Waddle trade

To facilitate this trade to the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins had to throw in some freebies. It so happens that to help finalize the deal, the latter had to absorb a chunk of Jaylen Waddle’s salary.

The Dolphins had already paid out a chunk of the pass catcher’s $84.75 million contract extension through guarantees and bonuses.

However, those numbers are usually spread across the length of the contract to help them sustain the salary cap. Now that he is traded, the money remaining will still count against the cap, hence the dead money.

After trading Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins are facing a massive dead cap hit of over $175 million. Most of it is from Tua Tagovailoa’s release, but the wideout, along with his former partner in crime, Tyreek Hill, have also contributed to it.

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