The Denver Broncos have drafted two receivers in the top two rounds of the NFL Draft in the last 10 years, with a resounding success in 2018 2nd-round pick Courtland Sutton and a disappointing letdown in 2020 1st-round pick Jerry Jeudy. Still, you can't say the Broncos haven't tried at wide receiver.
In recent years, however, the Broncos have greatly missed an explosive threat at the position. Sutton is one of the more underrated players in the game at his position, but he is far from an explosive option. He might be one of the most underrated receivers in the game, but especially as he moves into his 30s, he is not the receiver who is going to break away from corners and sprint past safeties.
Far too often last year, it felt as though the Broncos did not have a consistent speed threat at wide receiver. Marvin Mims was not a regular factor on the offense, and for as great a development as Troy Franklin was last year, he struggled with drops and was prone to disappearing for a game or two. Knowing what was keeping them from being a true Super Bowl contender, the Broncos went out and did what they needed to do.
By going all in on Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos have made their biggest commitment to the receiver position since the historic offense of the early 2010s. Denver has been starved for a top receiver for roughly a decade now, but Waddle can prove to be the answer to their conundrum by reaching a specific threshold this year.
Jaylen Waddle can be the Denver Broncos' first 1,200-yard receiver since Demaryius Thomas in 2015
The Denver Broncos have not had a 1,200-yard receiver since Demaryius Thomas reached that mark in the 2015 season, but Waddle can end that trend this year. Waddle is the most talented receiver the Broncos have brought in in some time, but he will also benefit from playing with the best quarterback the Broncos have had since Peyton Manning. Entering his third year in the league and finally on a true contending roster, there is every reason to believe that Nix can elevate his game in 2026.
By reaching the 1,200-yard mark, Waddle would average just a smidge over 70 yards per game over a full season, which would put him among the absolute best in football. Sutton has reached the 1,000-yard mark in now consecutive seasons, but a 17th game on the schedule waters down the impact of that feat. 1,200 yards is a threshold that was reached by just seven men last year, but there is no reason Waddle can't get there this year.
In fact, Denver's new top man has reached that mark before, totaling 1,356 yards in 2022, which is his only 17-game season so far in his career. If he is able to pull off a season like that again, the Broncos are going to be in incredible shape.
Waddle has the chance to be transformative for the Broncos' offense, and paired with Sutton and Franklin, could help build one of the best receiver trios in all of football. If that is the case, Nix might have a great chance at winning his first MVP award.
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