The Denver Broncos\u2019 offseason is no longer muted.<\/p>\n
The Broncos are acquiring standout wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster deal that sends three draft picks to the Miami Dolphins, including a first-rounder, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn\u2019t been announced. The Dolphins will receive the 30th-overall pick in next month\u2019s NFL draft along with picks in the third and fourth rounds. Denver will get Miami\u2019s fourth-rounder along with Waddle.<\/p>\n
The Broncos were the only team not to sign a free agent outside of retaining their own players before making this deal. <\/p>\n
Waddle gives Bo Nix<\/a> another main playmaker along with Courtland Sutton, boosting a passing offense that finished 11th in the NFL last season.<\/p>\n Waddle\u2019s arrival will give the Broncos a bona fide top wide receiving duo for the first time since the late Demaryius Thomas<\/a> and Emmanuel Sanders, who helped propel Denver to a Super Bowl championship a decade ago.<\/p>\n The Broncos were the AFC\u2019s No. 1 seed last season but lost to New England in the snowy AFC championship game without Nix, who broke his ankle in a game against Buffalo<\/a> in the divisional round.<\/p>\n Denver\u2019s defense was one of the league\u2019s best and produced an NFL-high and franchise-record 68 sacks, led by Nik Bonitto\u2019s 14. The Broncos\u2019 offense was another story, often sputtering until Nix\u2019s fourth-quarter heroics. Denver won a dozen one-score games in 2025 and had 10 comebacks during an 11-game winning streak.<\/p>\n Nix has gone 25-11 in his two seasons, including the playoffs. But he\u2019s done it largely without a true No. 1 receiver or top-tier tight end. Denver\u2019s offense also lacked a playmaker in the backfield after J.K. Dobbins<\/a> suffered what turned out to be a season-ending foot injury in mid-November.<\/p>\n Waddle, a first-round pick in 2021, had three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to begin his career but hasn\u2019t reached that total since 2023.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old Waddle has averaged 81 receptions, 1,098 yards receiving and six touchdowns over his five-year career. He had a career-high 104 catches as a rookie and had 1,356 yards receiving in 2022, when he led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch.<\/p>\n Overall, Waddle has 373 receptions for 5,039 yards and 26 TDs.<\/p>\n The rebuilding Dolphins previously released five-time All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They fired coach Mike McDaniel after going 7-10 last season and hired Jeff Hafley to replace him.<\/p>\n Miami invested $45 million guaranteed in Malik Willis to replace Tagovailoa.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n