Jaylen Waddle's frustrating start with the Denver Broncos continued Sunday, when the wide receiver stormed off the field after a failed third-down play. He finished with two receptions for 19 yards in a 23-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, his third game this season with fewer than 20 receiving yards.
Waddle was the Broncos' biggest offseason addition. Denver sent first- and third-round picks to the Miami Dolphins in March to acquire him. Last season, he recorded 910 receiving yards and six touchdowns with Miami. Coach Sean Payton has called his speed, toughness and locker room demeanor a "10, 10, 10, 10, 10," and teammate Pat Surtain II said Waddle's routes are hard to defend.
The offense has struggled across the board, however. Waddle has 18 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown, but most of that came in a Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he caught eight passes for 138 yards. In the other four games, he has combined for just 10 catches and 66 yards. Backup running back RJ Harvey leads the team with 20 receptions, which Waddle's modest totals make hard to ignore.
Waddle acknowledged his share of the problem, pointing to a Week 4 drop against the San Francisco 49ers. Payton said the Broncos have many issues to fix, and the 31st-ranked offense in plays of 20 or more yards shows the scope of the challenge. Denver (3-2) hosts the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (3-2) on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video, and the Broncos must find a way to get their prized receiver involved.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing