Sean Payton is walking into Week 1 with a weapon the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had time to fully study, and that could make all the difference on Monday night.
The Broncos spent months chasing Jaylen Waddle before finally landing him in a March 2026 trade with the Miami Dolphins. Denver had tried to get a deal done before the 2025 NFL trade deadline, but the sides couldn’t reach an agreement during the season.
After Miami’s postseason teardown, which included parting ways with head coach Mike McDaniel, the door opened. Denver paid a first- and third-round pick to get it done, and now Waddle is set to make his regular-season debut in a Broncos uniform against Kansas City.
That’s about as good a setting as Denver could ask for. Monday Night Football in Week 1 means the Chiefs are seeing Waddle in Sean Payton’s offense for the first time, and the whole league knows what that means: unscouted looks.
Early in the season, teams are still figuring out how new players fit, how they’re being used, and what the full picture looks like. The Broncos want to take advantage before the film catches up.
Payton made that point clearly on Saturday.
"I think the interesting thing about Week 1 is, on each side of the fence here, the Chiefs and the Broncos, there are some new players, running backs, receivers, offensive linemen, defensive backs and new players the same way for us," Payton said on Saturday. "That early part of the game, as to how they’re being deployed, is important. Who’s playing in the slot for them, how are they rotating the runners, those types of things."
He added that by the middle of the season, the mystery starts to fade.
"The same thing would apply to where Jaylen is at," Payton said. "The DNA picks up by Week 5, 6.
You start getting a pattern as to how players are going to be used. So the early part of the season, I think, is important.
Just adjusting and then taking a look at the-we get the pictures and the laptop photos, ‘This is what we’re seeing.’ They’ll be doing the same thing.”
That gives Denver a window, and Waddle gives them a real chance to push through it. His speed and explosiveness have stood out all summer, and the Broncos intend to use that trait in more than one way. He can stretch the defense just by being on the field, which can ease pressure in the box and help both the run game and the short passing game.
Bo Nix should also have plenty of reasons to look Waddle’s way early. That could mean a screen, a slant, or a quick catch that turns into extra yards after the miss.
It could also mean something deeper - a nine-ball, a post, or a seam shot. Denver even connected on a 35-yard catch-and-run in preseason Game 2, and that gives at least one clue about what the Broncos might have in store.
The bigger point is simple: Kansas City doesn’t have a reliable regular-season trail to follow yet. The Chiefs can study Denver’s old film with Payton calling plays and Waddle’s tape from his time with the Dolphins, but that’s not the same as seeing how this version of the Broncos intends to deploy him.
The Chiefs have their own new wrinkles to sort through, too. Denver has never scouted some of Kansas City’s new personnel in the context of Andy Reid’s or Steve Spagnuolo’s system, including running back Kenneth Walker III and a new-look secondary. Payton said that cuts both ways.
"Week 1 is always tough. Even though we’re playing these guys every year, twice a year, and playing them for a long time, Week 1 is always tough because there are going to be some unscouted looks, and both sides will have those," Joseph said on Friday.
"And if you can nail those early and get past those without having tragic results, that’s the key. So I think for us going on the road, it’s going to be a hostile environment."
Vance Joseph is focused on keeping his defense sharp when those early surprises hit. He wants Denver to play "clean" and avoid the kind of mental mistakes that can snowball fast in a game like this.
"Just playing clean early and obviously getting past the unscouted looks, because everyone goes to the offseason; within your system, you have to adjust," Joseph said. "We do it every single year, and I’m sure Andy and EB [Bieniemy] are doing the same. So just getting past those looks early, it’s the stress for me on defense."
That stress is real, especially with Patrick Mahomes back in the mix and Eric Bieniemy returning as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator. Joseph knows better than most what kind of problem that can create, and he’ll have to sort through it while also dealing with the tricks Bieniemy may have waiting for him.
For Denver, though, the bigger opportunity is on offense. With Waddle in the lineup and Davis Webb handling the play-calling, the Broncos have a chance to use Week 1’s uncertainty as an edge before the league builds a full file on what this group can do.
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