Our first look at the Miami Dolphins’ most controversial 2026 goodbye was nothing like what his new team paid for
The most controversial goodbye for the Miami Dolphins this offseason found things hard to come by in his Week 1 debut elsewhere.
There are no shortage of players that the Miami Dolphins said goodbye to this past season. Many of them weren’t exactly surprises.
The Dolphins ushered in a new era by moving on from QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Tyreek Hill, EDGE Bradley Chubb, and others. All could be seen coming from a mile away. But the decision to trade WR Jaylen Waddle? That was met with some controversy. We’ve now officially had a chance to see Waddle suit up for his new team — just as we’ve watched Miami play without him for the first time. Waddle’s night with the Denver Broncos was…unassuming. To say the least.
Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle fizzles in Denver’s season-opening loss
It was, in all, a terrible night for the Broncos offense. Quarterback Bo Nix looked out of sorts. New play-caller Davis Webb certainly didn’t do anything to quiet to skepticism about his elevated role instead of Sean Payton. The offense as a whole finished with 176 yards of offense — the worst of any team in Week 1.
Waddle’s night? Three targets, one reception, two yards, one drop. Certainly not the marquee output you’d look for in return for a marquee investment. And that’s exactly what the Broncos made when they sent the Miami Dolphins a first-round pick and an additional 3rd round draft choice as a part of the total package of assets traded for Waddle.
It marks just the fifth time in Waddle’s NFL career in which he’s posted less than 10 receiving yards in a game. Ironically, his last game as a Dolphin was one of them. Waddle posted 0 receptions on one target across just 9 routes run in the Dolphins’ win over Tampa Bay last season. He did not play against the Patriots in Week 18. There’s plenty of games left for Waddle to pick himself up off the mat and play like the player the Broncos paid for. But his Denver debut was (nearly) as unproductive as his goodbye in Miami.
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