Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton anticipated the question about where he puts new acquisition Jaylen Waddle in the wide receiver pecking order.
“We’re not just going to have, and I know someone’s getting ready to ask me, ‘Is he receiver (No.) 1 or 2?’ So we don’t have (that),” Payton said Tuesday at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “We just play different packages and try to give those guys the things that they do well.”
What Waddle does is run really fast, and he stops fast, Payton said, and is a “tremendous route runner” with an expansive route tree.
“The best thing that I think he does is he’s explosive; he’s dynamic,” Payton said. “A lot of times, the guys run fast, but I think he sends his hips in transition. I think you’ll see him play inside in the slot; you’ll see him outside.”
Denver acquired Waddle and a fourth-round pick in next month’s draft from the Miami Dolphins on March 17 in exchange for first-, third- and fourth-round selections.
Waddle, 27, recorded 64 catches for 910 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games (all starts) last season for the rebuilding Dolphins. He is owed $68.6 million over the next three seasons.
He has 373 receptions for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns in 78 career games (all starts) since being selected by Miami with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Payton said the organization talked to former Alabama coach Nick Saban and others who have worked with Waddle, whose competitive drive “came up time and again.”
“Whenever you get into a big-name free agent or a trade of this magnitude, all the other stuff is important to research,” Payton said. “When it comes to Waddle’s all the other stuff, it was 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. So I think, obviously, it will help us.”
Waddle will give Broncos quarterback Bo Nix another prime target in addition to Courtland Sutton, a two-time Pro Bowl receiver. Sutton led the Broncos in catches (74), receiving yards (1,017) and receiving touchdowns (seven) last season as the team (14-3) won the AFC West and advanced to the conference championship game.
The Broncos’ receivers also include Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.
Waddle said after the trade that he didn’t “think there are No. 1s; everyone is here to make plays and try to win. That’s ultimately the goal for the team and for the organization.”
Payton on Tuesday said that a locker room is welcoming to any player who can help the team and is a good fit.
“I think whenever you are able to bring in someone that is highly competitive, his personality and all of those things (help),” Payton said. “I think the good teams welcome those players because they know it’s another piece and another opportunity to improve your team.”
