The Dolphins gave up Jaylen Waddle in the offseason with the idea that the pain of the present would buy them something better down the road. A few months later, that deal is holding up nicely in the moment, too.
Waddle’s latest game didn’t do Denver any favors. In the Broncos’ 17-14 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, he caught four passes for 24 yards. It was the fifth time in six games that he finished below 35 receiving yards, and it kept a rough stretch going for a player Denver expected to bring explosive playmaking to an offense that reached the AFC Championship Game last year.
The only real spike in that run came in Week 2 against Jacksonville, when Waddle posted 138 receiving yards. Since then, though, he has managed just 13 catches for 88 yards over the last four games combined. That is the worst four-game yardage stretch of his career, and it falls well short of his previous low of 135 yards over four games in 2024.
Denver is still 4-2, but the offense has drawn plenty of criticism anyway. Waddle was supposed to be part of the answer. So far, he hasn’t changed the conversation much.
Miami, on the other hand, has reason to feel better about what it got back. The Dolphins sent Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round pick, No. 111 overall, to Denver in exchange for the No. 30 pick, plus third- and fourth-round selections at Nos. 94 and 130.
Miami then flipped the 30th pick and No. 90 to San Francisco for the No. 27 pick and No. 138.
That chain of moves left the Dolphins with cornerback Chris Johnson at No. 27, receiver Chris Bell at No. 94, linebacker Trey Moore at No. 130 and safety Kyle Louis at No. 138. Put all together, the trade works out to Miami sending out Waddle, the 90th pick and the 111th pick in exchange for Johnson, Bell, Moore and Louis.
It also cleared Waddle off the Dolphins’ future books, though Miami will carry a $23 million dead cap hit for him in 2026.
The final verdict won’t come for a while, but the early returns lean Miami’s way. Johnson, in particular, has started to look the part after a shaky beginning to his rookie season. He drew mention this week from Sports Illustrated draft analyst Justin Melo as one of his five rookies on the move.
Bell has been slower to get going, which fits his situation as he works back from a serious knee injury and plays in an offense that has struggled across the board.
Moore and Louis are both on injured reserve, so their impact in 2026 remains an open question. Moore had looked ready in camp to become a real contributor, and Louis is expected to get a shot at a new position when he comes back.
For now, though, the deal keeps tilting Miami’s way.
In Other News...
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Troy Aikman's Dolphins Role Just Took An Important Turn
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Dolphins Rebuild Just Put The Focus On One Crucial Draft Plan
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The latest PFF 2027 mock draft simulator leans into that approach by pushing Miami toward help in multiple areas, with names like Anthony Boswell, Bray Hubbard, Evan Stewart and Zeke Barry showing up as potential fits. The common thread is obvious: build through the trenches, shore up key positions and keep adding talent over the next few years, even if the full payoff is still a long way off. [Read more 🡒]