Broncos' 'Attack' Plan for Jaylen Waddle Is Starting to Take Shape

Jaylen Waddle's performance at Denver Broncos training camp has been a spectacle.

The veteran wideout's speed and acrobatic one-handed catches have left jaws agape and fans imagining what it's all going to look like when September rolls around. Waddle's explosive ability to get off the snap in a blink, accelerate to full speed, and break and cut on a dime is an asset Bo Nix looks forward to exploiting against opponents.

Already, Nix has visions of how the Broncos will attack opponents, and the strikes will be rather indiscriminate.

"The middle of the field, outside, vertically, behind the line of scrimmage—we're going to utilize him everywhere," Nix said of Waddle on Saturday. "Whatever the defense gives us, we're going to attack."

During the first week of training camp, head coach Sean Payton explained that there are two ways a receiver can create separation: run fast and stop fast. Waddle has both of those assets in spades, which allow him to win the "game within the game" as it applies to matchups and keep the defensive backfield guessing.

"He's an explosive playmaker. He's really good at what he does," Nix said of Waddle. "He gets open, he makes plays, he's fast, and he's explosive. He's great with the ball in his hands; he's great going deep to get the football; he's great in the screen game. He can do a lot of things."

Even Faster

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle catches a pass during OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos

Broncos veteran safety Brandon Jones played with Waddle in Miami. Jones says that only one thing may be different about Waddle compared to their time together with the Dolphins: he could be even faster.

"Yeah, it's exactly who he was in Miami," Jones said of Waddle on Saturday. "He might even be a little faster, which is insane. I didn't think that was physically possible."

Sheeeeesh, @D1__JW 🐧 pic.twitter.com/VKXhvEPoSk
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 30, 2026

Waddle is known for being a great teammate with high football character. One thing fans may not have known about him, though, is that he also likes to talk a little trash out on the grass.

"He's a great teammate, a great person, and he just brings a different type of juice," Jones said. "He's a guy who can line up anywhere, catch any ball, run any route, and he talks a lot of smack too, which I appreciate. You kind of need that, especially during training camp."

Waddle is Raising the Ships Around Him

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first few practices of training camp have illustrated just how uniquely talented Waddle is, but another encouraging takeaway has been the utilization of several different pass-catchers and the downfield striking. With Davis Webb as the new offensive coordinator and play-caller, it feels like there's been a philosophical shift of some kind, though we can't be too quick to knee-jerk there because it's early and the pads haven't gone on yet.

These practices have featured one player after another catching deep passes down the field. Of course, Courtland Sutton and Waddle have gotten in on the action, but tight end Evan Engram, receivers Marvin Mims Jr., Pat Bryant, and Hakeem Butler, as well as pass-catching running back RJ Harvey, have as well.

As we hoped, Waddle could be the catalyst to opening things up for everyone else on offense. Just when the defense starts trying to key on Waddle, shading coverage his way, Nix will look elsewhere, whether that's to Sutton, Engram, Mims, Bryant — wherever the mismatch is.

That's a big change-up compared to the past two years. When opponents would double-cover Sutton, Nix wasn't always able to make them pay by targeting the Broncos' other playmakers, and a big reason for that was a relative lack of juice in the receiving corps, though some of that may have been due to scheme as well.

Waddle has changed the football arithmetic and perhaps even inspired his new teammates to rise to greater heights individually. That seems to be the case for all of them, but especially Mims.

"He's very versatile, so he adds another element to our offense," Nix said of Waddle. "It's exciting because we've got a lot of different weapons. I think, top to bottom, this is a really strong team. We just have to figure out what works best for us and find ways to utilize all of our tools."

Exploiting the Advantages

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's what Webb and Payton are figuring out during camp: how to utilize all the weapons in Nix's arsenal. The early returns are more than encouraging. This camp has featured more big plays early on than I can recall in recent years.

It's not easy connecting on big plays against this defense, and that includes the second- and third-team units. The Broncos have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, and that is certainly reflected defensively.

Fast forward to the regular season, and I have a feeling that opponents will think they know what they're getting with the Broncos' offense, based on the past two years of tape. The Broncos' offensive brain trust of Payton, Webb, and Nix will make them pay for assuming that, though.

The pre-snap looks will be similar to what opponents see on tape. What the Broncos do differently from those familiar sets when the ball is snapped will have opponents rethinking their game preparation as the season marches ahead.

With a tough first-half of the schedule, the Broncos will need every advantage they can create to weather the storm. If they can do it, Denver will be poised to capitalize on one of the NFL's easiest second-half-of-the-season schedules.

The Takeaway

Waddle has been as advertised thus far, and then some. His presence seems to have not only sparked Payton and Webb's creativity, but he has also inspired the Broncos' incumbent playmakers around him.

Payton often talks about how some players are a "force multiplier." The Broncos look for such intangibles when they're scouting the draft and the veteran free-agent pool.

Running back J.K. Dobbins has been described as a "force multiplier," and the early returns from training camp make it quite clear that Waddle is, too — and in many different ways. Even the most stingy fans are starting to understand why the Broncos were willing to give up their first- and third-round draft picks to get Waddle in the fold.

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