Jaylen Waddle, the Denver Broncos' star offseason acquisition, went down with a muscle strain in his left leg in early August, forcing him to miss the team's preseason opener against Atlanta last Friday and nearly two weeks of practice. But he returned to practice this week and did something Broncos fans rarely see: beat All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II in one-on-one coverage. Waddle created separation from Surtain on a stop-and-go route and connected with quarterback Bo Nix on a 50- to 60-yard touchdown.
After practice, Surtain explained what makes Waddle such a difficult receiver to defend. "It's a unique skill set, knowing that he has the ability to make a big-time play in one snap. He can take a 5-yard catch and turn it into a 70-yard touchdown.
That's the type of player he is. And it's fun watching that in action," Surtain said. A lot of trash talk out there for sure, but that's everybody, you know.
We're all trying to get each other better, and obviously when it's good on good, there's going to be a lot of trash talk out there. But it's fun; it makes us better ... Iron sharpens iron, for sure." More news: Eagles’ $100 Million Man in Doubt for Week 1 More news: Seahawks’ Trevon Diggs Signing Sets up Special Full-Circle Moment in 2026 Waddle spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Dolphins, becoming a crucial piece of Miami's explosive offense.
He posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, including a breakout 2022 campaign in which he hauled in 75 catches on 117 targets for a career-high 1,356 yards (seventh-most in the NFL) and eight touchdowns. His 18.1 yards per catch that season was the second-highest mark in the league. Miami's offense sputtered in the years since, but Waddle's game-changing speed and explosive yards-after-catch ability remain what make him such a nightmare for opposing defensive backs — a point Surtain emphasized on Wednesday.
Lining up opposite the 6-foot-4 Courtland Sutton, a natural red-zone threat, Waddle should give Nix the kind of one-two punch that could help push Denver's offense over the top. More news: Jets Rookie QB Impresses Aaron Glenn Amid Geno Smith Injury Concern
Extract — continue reading at the source.
