Mile High Sports
Jaylen Waddle is giving people something to talk about during Denver Broncos OTAs.
Thank goodness, because the Broncos didn’t make any moves outside of the team other than bringing Waddle in.
But the star wide receiver hopes to transform Denver’s offense, and that’s starting now, in June.
Last year, the Broncos exceeded everyone’s expectations by a mile.
The books in Las Vegas guessed Denver would win 9.5 games. Sean Payton smiled, maybe even smirked a little bit, as the Broncos took the world by storm and won 14 regular season games. It was only the second time in team history they’d hit that mark in the regular season.
Not only did they win the AFC West for the first time in a decade, but they were the AFC’s No. 1 seed and narrowly lost in the AFC Championship game when Bo Nix was injured the week before.
Now, fast forward to today nearly six months later, and not much has changed.
The Broncos re-signed 14 in-house players, much to Broncos Country’s chagrin.
As NFL Free Agency kicked off in March, it was former Broncos player after former Broncos player that Denver re-signed.
Fans got anxious and restless, and then finally conceded the team wasn’t going to get anyone new.
And really, who could blame George Paton and Sean Payton? Paton constructed a competitive roster. And Payton loves his guys. Once he gets to know them, he has a fierce loyalty to players. Ask Adam Trautman or Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Besides trying to sign or trade for a No. 1 running back and failing, Denver kept the band of horses together and pointed in the same direction.
Finally, they did something huge.
Denver traded for start wideout Jaylen Waddle. He’s the receiver who will transform the Broncos offense and receiver room, no doubt about it.
And thankfully he’s on the team because it gives people something to talk about during these Denver Broncos OTAs, where Bo Nix is still absent and recovering from injury and surgeries.
Anyone who’s watched the NFL or played fantasy football the last few years knows Waddle is a playmaker.
Yes, he’s a deep threat. But he’s much more than that.
Waddle is fantastic at catching the ball over the middle of the field, which is where Nix has struggled to this point in his career. The elite receiver also can produce yards after the catch with the ball in his hands; he’s elusive and has a nose for the goal line.
Head coach Sean Payton likes what he’s seen from the veteran so far.
“He’s had a good week,” Payton said of Denver Broncos OTAs. “He’s someone who picks things up real quick. He had a real good day yesterday. You can just feel his instincts, his quickness and his ability to really to not only run fast but stop fast. So he’s doing well.”
“I...
