Can the Dolphins Get Waddle Going?

Jaylen Waddle must be more involved if the Miami Dolphins hope to return to the playoffs in 2025.

While most of the attention has gone to Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins are heavily invested in two receivers and have struggled to get both involved. After catching four passes for 30 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, Waddle has failed to reach 50 receiving yards in 11 of 16 games since the start of last season. 

Waddle signed a three-year contract extension last offseason after becoming the first player in franchise history to start his career with three straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Like the majority of Miami’s offense, he took a step back last year with 58 receptions, 744 yards receiving, and two touchdowns, all career lows.

Injuries played a major role in Miami’s drop from third to 18th in yards per game, but Waddle’s involvement was also a season-long issue. He caught all five targets for 109 yards to begin the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including a 63-yard reception in the third quarter, though he cooled off from there.

Not only did Waddle, who led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception in 2022, fail to record a reception longer than 36 yards in the following 14 games, but as a team, Miami had only three pass plays of at least 40 yards, tied for the league’s fewest.

Things were expected to change this offseason. The Dolphins shipped tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh after he led the team with 88 receptions and eight touchdowns while averaging 10 yards per reception with the expectation to push the ball further downfield. 

It’s still very early, so the sample size was small, but Miami dealt with the same issues to begin 2025. Hill had the team’s longest reception against Indianapolis at 21 yards, while Waddle finished with just four receptions for 30 yards. His longest reception was 16 yards, meaning he averaged fewer than 5 yards on the other three catches.

A Chance To Get Things Right Against New England

The last time Waddle went for more than 100 receiving yards was when he caught eight of nine targets for 144 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 last season against the New England Patriots — Miami’s Week 2 opponent. 

Waddle hasn’t lost his explosiveness as one of the league’s top receiving threats. Two weeks after carving up New England, he caught nine of 12 targets for 99 yards against the New York Jets, but consistency remains a clear issue.

On top of Waddle’s past success against the Patriots, New England will also be without top cornerback Christian Gonzalez on Sunday due to a hamstring injury, marking his second consecutive missed game.

With Gonzalez sidelined, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 362 yards last week. New England’s cornerback duo of Carlton Davis and Alex Austin were targeted 12 times in coverage, allowing six receptions for 123 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. 

The Dolphins could pressure the boundary corners, but they also need to establish ways to take advantage of mismatches over the middle, especially without a big-body target like Jonnu Smith in the mix. 

Only the Baltimore Ravens allowed more receiving yards than the Patriots last week, and Geno Smith took advantage of matchups across the middle of the field.

Middle linebackers Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane were targeted nine times in coverage, allowing nine receptions for 95 yards. Additionally, free safety Jaylinn Hawkins surrendered three receptions for 88 yards. 

It’s important to note that Geno Smith’s leading target was All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, who possesses the kind of physical skill set Miami lacks from its receiving group. Waddle may not have the 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, but he brings game-changing quickness and can score from anywhere on the field.

The Dolphins’ offense was once one of the league’s toughest challenges for opposing defenses, and Waddle was one of the key reasons why. If he and the offense as a whole struggle again in what should be a favorable matchup, it could further extend concerns about Miami’s offensive effectiveness.

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