Jaylen Waddle’s first night in a Broncos uniform went about as badly as it could have gone.
On Monday Night Football, the former Dolphins wideout was barely part of the action in Denver’s loss to Kansas City. Waddle finished with one catch for two yards, and the bigger surprise was how little the Broncos leaned on him at all - just three targets in a blowout defeat. For a player Denver spent a lot to bring in, that kind of usage stood out immediately.
Miami fans had plenty to say when Jon-Eric Sullivan dealt Waddle away, and the move looked even more interesting after the Broncos’ debut. The Dolphins picked up an extra first-round selection in the trade, then used it to move up for Chris Johnson. Johnson’s own NFL debut was rough, but Waddle’s was even harder to ignore because he was such a non-factor from start to finish.
The Chiefs’ defense had plenty to do with it. Waddle was covered tightly most of the night, and Kansas City’s secondary shut him down early enough that Denver never really found a way to feature him.
Still, the Broncos never seemed able - or willing - to force the issue. Even as they trailed for most of the game, Waddle wasn’t used as the kind of weapon many expected.
That’s the part that will stick with fans who spent the offseason hearing how much he would change the offense. The hype around Waddle was loud through training camp, but Dolphins supporters who questioned it were not exactly shocked. Waddle can be streaky, and when things go sideways, his route running can get a little lazy.
That doesn’t make him a bad player. It does make him something less than the true top-end receiver some people want him to be.
Broncos fans need to understand that Waddle is not a No. 1; he’s a very good No. 2.
On Monday night, he wasn’t even that.
Bo Nix also didn’t appear to trust him in contested situations, which only added to the flat debut. The Broncos believe Waddle can still be a difference-maker, and there’s plenty of season left for that to become true. But for one night in Denver, he looked like exactly what the Chiefs treated him as: a player they could take out of the game.
In Other News...
Dolphins Owner Just Landed In Rare Company Among NFL Billionaires
The latest Forbes 400 list offered a fresh reminder of just how much financial firepower sits behind some NFL franchises, and Stephen Ross remains one of the leagues most prominent owners in that company. The Dolphins owner checked in at 56th with a net worth of $21.5 billion, while Miami itself was valued at $7.5 billion, underscoring how far the franchise has climbed in league business circles.
Ross is hardly alone among NFL owners on the annual ranking, with familiar heavyweights like Rob Walton, David Tepper, Stanley Kroenke, Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft also making the cut. For Miami, the bigger takeaway is less about the leaderboard itself and more about what that kind of ownership profile can mean in a league where resources, ambition and expectations are often linked long before the first snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Rookie Corner Already Faces Pressure After Rough First Impression
Chris Johnsons first NFL outing was the kind rookies remember for all the wrong reasons, and the Dolphins are already living with the early lesson. The first-year corner was targeted often and had a rough debut, allowing two touchdowns and six catches on 11 targets, a reminder of how quickly the league can expose hesitation in the secondary. Miami has asked him to handle more than one spot back there, which only adds to the challenge as he tries to settle in.
Coach Jeff Hafley said Johnson needs to clean up the details, but he also praised the way the rookie has approached the setback. Teammate Dante Trader has tried to keep the message simple: take the game, learn from it and move on. The next stretch will show how quickly Johnson can respond, with more tests coming against a run of opponents that will keep him under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Got One Encouraging Sign Up Front And One Early Concern
The Dolphins left Week 1 with the kind of mixed offensive line tape that usually tells you more about the process than the box score. There was at least one encouraging sign up front, with left tackle Patrick Paul and rookie Kadyn Proctor showing promise in both pass protection and the run game, while center Aaron Brewer held up well when the game called for him to pass block. For a team still rebuilding that unit with an eye on the future, those flashes matter.
Still, Miami also had reason to leave Sunday uneasy. Jonah Savaiinaea and Austin Jackson posted poor pass-blocking grades on the right side, which is the sort of early issue that can change how a line is viewed before the season really settles in. The Dolphins are trying to develop stability up front, but Week 1 offered a reminder that the group is still very much a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]