Jaylen Waddle Opens Up on the 'Game Within the Game'

One of Jaylen Waddle's supreme skills is his ability to disguise his routes, which becomes the "game within the game."

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

To say the Denver Broncos were sold on Jaylen Waddle's considerable wellspring of talents would be an understatement. The Broncos viewed Waddle as more valuable than their 2026 first and third-round draft picks, dealing them away to Miami in exchange for the veteran wide receiver.

With the first practice of OTAs open to the press on Thursday, the early returns indicate that Waddle is as advertised. Head coach Sean Payton was all smiles, looking like the cat that got the canary, especially any time Waddle's name came up.

"He [Waddle] has been a great addition, and we’re just getting started,” Payton said after Thursday's practice.

Broncos All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga was also suitably impressed by Waddle, especially his ability to disguise his routes.

The Sauce is Secret

Waddle took to the podium after Thursday's practice, and when he was asked about Hufanga's observation and how he manages to disguise his routes so well, he wasn't about to give up any trade secrets.

"Mmm, I can't really give away the sauce like that," Waddle said. "But it's definitely a trait, something that a lot of wide receivers have. I just think it's marrying up your routes, honestly. Making everything look like a go, or making more routes look like the other. So it's kind of the game within the game." 

Giving away absolutely nothing to your opponents is a well-established trait of the NFL's elite pass catchers, and it's certainly an ethos that Payton adheres to philosophically. Waddle will fit right in with Payton.

Between watching Waddle's tape and seeing him in action, Hufanga has had enough glimpses to get a clear picture of his new teammate's core strengths. 

"For me, watching his tape—and other people may have different opinions—I think his ability to make every route look the same is really important," Hufanga said of Waddle on Thursday. "As a defender, when a guy can make a 10-yard stop route look like a go route, a 10-yard dig look like a go route, a 10-yard out route look the same, it puts pressure on your backpedal as a defensive back. For him to bring that to our team is a blessing."

A Deep And Talented WR Room

Denver Broncos wide receivers Troy Franklin (11), Courtland Sutton (14) and Marvin Mims Jr. (19) celebrate a touchdown during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Broncos have rounded out their wide receiving corps with a potent blend of skill sets and traits, which could open up the entire playbook for new offensive coordinator Davis Webb and allow him to unleash quarterback Bo Nix. 

Waddle, being a fierce competitor and hard worker, certainly figures to help him fit right in with a roster that feels it is firmly within a Super Bowl window. The Broncos came one Nix injury short of likely advancing to the Super Bowl this past season, and Waddle could help them get over that hump.

Broncos GM George Paton has built significant depth in the receiver room, to the point that blending all of the unit's unique traits will require intricate coaching moving forward. The Broncos recently hired Ronald Curry as the new wide receivers coach, but maximizing the room will also come down to the Xs and Os acumen and game-planning of Payton and Webb, not to mention the execution of the triggerman, Nix.

'The Targets Will Come'

Since Waddle arrived in Denver, there have been questions about who the Broncos' No. 1 receiver is now. Courtland Sutton is coming off his second Pro Bowl nod and back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he doesn't care about nominal WR1 designations; he cares about winning. The same is true for Waddle.

"I think last year was a good start, and I think that we’ve added to… Personality-wise and player-wise, we’ve added to that, and we’ve kept a lot of those guys as well that understand what this idea of success that we are trying to bring to this team and to this offense," Sutton said on Thursday. "The targets will come. I always say, the ball is going to find you no matter what; you just need to go out there and do your job.”

As for Payton's vision for Waddle, he will be an outside receiver, not a slot guy, in terms of primary role. Sutton will be on one boundary, with Waddle opposite, and between them, the Broncos will deploy an array of weapons, rotating in and out the likes of Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., Pat Bryant, and tight end Evan Engram.

“Outside," Payton said of Waddle's position. "That’s where his home will be initially, and there may be some packages where we have some flex, but he’s doing too well outside.”

Throw in running backs RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman catching passes out of the backfield, and the Broncos' arsenal options are sure to put opponents on their heels. All that's missing from the equation right this very moment is the quarterback, but Nix will soon be back out on the practice field, fully unencumbered with his teammates.

Waddle is the shiny new toy running around Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. He's going to continue to garner attention, too, based on how he's already popping on the practice field.

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