‘Fleece!’ ‘This NEVER Happened in Miami’ — Dolphins Fans Ready To Relitigate Jaylen Waddle Trade As Broncos Star Goes Missing vs. Chiefs
· Yahoo Sports
Miami Dolphins fans spent months hearing that Jaylen Waddle could become the piece that pushes Denver’s offense over the top. But his first regular-season game gave those fans plenty of reason to start looking back at that trade.
Waddle finished with just one catch for two yards as Kansas City rolled to a 31-10 win Monday night. His quiet box score was made worse by a third-down drop, and suddenly, Miami fans had plenty to say about the March trade that sent the former No. 6 overall pick to Denver.
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Dolphins Fans Reopen Jaylen Waddle Trade Debate
The sharpest reaction came after the third-down miscue.One fan sarcastically wrote, “This NEVER happened in Miami.”
It was the kind of moment that needed almost no explanation for a fan base that watched Waddle closely for five seasons.
Another fan replied, “Fleece!”
Denver acquired Waddle and the No. 111 pick from Miami in March for the No. 30, No. 94 and No. 130 selections, a price that reflected how strongly the Broncos believed he could elevate their offense.
Waddle arrived with“missing piece” expectations after Denver reached the AFC Championship Game last season. That made Monday’s disappearing act especially easy material for Dolphins fans.
Another fan added, “It actually just made me flinch, that’s how bad my PTSD is from his huge drops”
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One X user wrote, “I like Waddle but man those drop issues were a real concern.”
Another fan pointed to Waddle’s production in Miami, writing, “And somehow he who shall not be named helped him become a 3x 1000 yd wr. Crazy work.”
The three 1,000-yard seasons are accurate. Waddle topped the mark in each of his first three NFL seasons before finishing with 744 yards in 2024 and 910 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.
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Broncos’ Big Waddle Bet Starts With a Dud
Denver did not trade premium draft capital for a Week 1 box score, and one poor night does not settle whether Miami or Denver won the deal. It does, however, give Dolphins fans their first chance to revisit the offseason conversation.
Waddle entered 2026 after posting an 80.9WR Impact score from PFN in 2025, ranking No. 22 among qualifying receivers. Denver believed pairing his explosiveness with Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton would give Sean Payton’s offense another dimension.
Against Kansas City, almost none of that materialized.
The Broncos produced just 176 total yards, Nix threw for 131 yards, and Waddle’s first regular-season reception in orange and blue went for a mere two yards.
Kansas City pulled away for a 31-10 win while Denver’s new star receiver barely made an impact.
There are 16 games left to make the blockbuster trade look smarter. For one night, though, Dolphins fans who spent the offseason hearing what Waddle might become in Denver got to enjoy the easiest form of football analysis: reopening the trade receipt.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.