Why the Jaylen Waddle Durability Narrative Deserves a Closer Look

Jaylen Waddle was a great get for the Denver Broncos, adding more explosive, dynamic playmaking to their offense. With the skill-set he brings, Waddle will take some coverage focus off fellow wideout Courtland Sutton, can help tight end Evan Engram, and have an impact in the run game more than Troy Franklin with better blocking.

To be clear, Waddle isn’t a great blocker, but he gives a lot more effort than Franklin does.

There are plenty of reasons for the Broncos and fans to feel excited over this trade. While some may say the team gave up too much for Waddle, only time will tell.

The Purported 'Concern'

However, another concern is being raised on social media: the amount of time Waddle has missed during the regular season.

The concern isn't about missed games overall, but the number of snaps Waddle misses in-game, and that seemed like something worth digging into. Is there reason to be concerned, or are Miami Dolphins fans and reporters, for lack of a better term, being salty over a young playmaker being traded away?

Games Missed

Getting into games missed, Waddle missed Week 18 last season, Week 15 in 2021, Weeks 3, 17, and 18 in 2023, and Weeks 16 and 17 in 2024. That is seven out of 87 games the Dolphins have played since he was drafted in 2021, including the playoffs.

Seven games in five seasons for a wide receiver? Most teams will take that as it's been rather standard for receivers to miss two or three games per season on average.

Snaps Missed In-Game

However, Dolphins fans and reporters took this a step further, pointing out all the time Waddle misses during games because "he gets dinged up and leaves for series at a time," and well, when breaking down the Dolphins, I didn’t see that. Fortunately, snap counts exist and provide the evidence we need.

During his five seasons with the Dolphins, they played a total of 5,430 snaps on offense, with Waddle playing 3,816 of those snaps, or 70.28%. Now, since the claim is that he missed a lot of time in the games he played, we are going to separate those seven games.

Over Waddle's five seasons, the Dolphins averaged about 65 snaps per game, which would be about 455 total missed for Waddle for those seven games.

Again, the claim is that Waddle missed many snaps in the games he played, so we need to set those games aside for a moment. In the games he played, he played 76.7% of the offensive snaps; that's a good number for a receiver, given how much the position is rotated.

But Waddle did miss some games due to injuries, so there is a slight concern, even though seven games in five seasons isn’t a concerning number. We can put to rest the idea that he ‘missed’ a lot of snaps in the games he did play, though.

Percentage of Snaps Played

Oct 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) scores a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As for each season, Waddle played 78.25% of snaps in 2021, 74.27% in 2022, 58.02% in 2023 (when he missed three games), 67.03% in 2024 (where he missed two games), and 73.65% in 2025. So his snap percentage has been pretty consistent.

Now, how does it compare to Denver and the rest of the NFL?

Over his five years, Waddle has had a higher snap percentage than Denver's No. 2 wide receiver in all but two seasons. Why am I highlighting the No. 2 receiver? Because Sutton still figures to be the top guy in the room, even with Waddle added.

The two seasons when Waddle didn’t play more than Denver's No. 2 receiver were 2023, his only season in which he didn’t play over 600 snaps due to missing three games, and 2021, when Tim Patrick played 81.95% of Denver's snaps to Waddle's 78.25% of Miami's snaps.

In 2025, Waddle played the 25th-highest percentage of snaps of all receivers in the NFL; 32nd in 2024; 2023 is thrown out due to the injury he had, so he isn’t in the top 50; 18th in 2022; and 13th in 2021. It's safe to say he plays a lot of snaps at wide receiver.

Injuries are always a concern and can happen to anyone. Last year, Troy Franklin was Denver's No. 2 receiver, and he missed time with injury, but was also part of a rotation with Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Franklin only played 56.08% of Denver’s offensive snaps in the regular season, adding only 13 total snaps in the playoffs between the two games. Waddle brings more than that.

Also, with the Broncos' receiver rotation, they could cut into Waddle's snap counts and help him stay good to go for the season. They can provide him with less strain instead of forcing 70%-plus snaps out of him every game, which can be detrimental to a player of his size.

The Takeaway

So, no, this isn’t a major concern for the Broncos and isn’t something fans should be worried about. It's a safe bet the Broncos did their own digging into this, and they were still more than comfortable giving up what they did to get Waddle.

It may turn out to be an overpay, and injuries could become a serious issue, but only time will tell. Right now, it's a fair trade for both parties.

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