Waddle Watch Could Be Coming Soon

Jaylen Waddle became a bit of a forgotten man in the Miami Dolphins offense last season, but it may be sooner rather than later that he’s asked to play a lead role in the passing game.

Waddle has proven before that he can do it, and the team certainly believes he can, based on the contract extension it gave him in 2024.

Given Tyreek Hill’s uncertain status after his latest off-the-field episode, including speculation he could be traded, Waddle could be in line for a feature role again in 2025.

Miami signed Waddle to a four-year extension last offseason with the expectation that he’d again be the team’s top receiving option like he was in 2021 when he set an NFL rookie record with 104 receptions.

Waddle then led the NFL in receiving average at 18.1 yards per reception in 2022 after Hill and head coach Mike McDaniel and had another good year in 2023, even though injuries dropped his production a bit.

After falling to fourth in the pecking order in Miami’s passing attack and posting career lows across the board, Waddle enters a pivotal fifth year with Hill’s future in question.

Waddle had three straight 1,000-yard seasons before catching 58 of 83 targets for 744 yards and two touchdowns last year. Hill led the team with 123 targets, followed by Jonnu Smith (111) and De’Von Achane (87). 

The offense averaged seven fewer points per game from 2023 to 2024, and if Hill is no longer in the picture, Waddle will need to prove he’s ready to emerge as Miami’s No. 1 receiver.

Revisiting the 2021 draft class

Waddle has been highly productive in his first four seasons with the Dolphins, but his selection with the sixth overall pick still in the 2021 draft could use more validation because of what else the organization could have done.

The Dolphins could have had Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had they chosen to stay put at No. 3 that year and they also could have selected Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell after trading down from 3 to 12 and then backup to 6 in separate moves with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.

Chase and Sewell both are two-time All-Pros and could be considered transcendent players; Waddle has been good, maybe even very good, but not at that level.

He could get the opportunity to get there.

Waddle got at least eight targets in eight of 14 appearances in 2023 and we got a positive, albeit limited, sample of what the offense could look like with Waddle as the team’s top option at receiver. 

A late-season ankle injury kept Hill out of the lineup Dec. 17, 2023, against the New York Jets —a top 10 scoring defense that held opponents under 21 points per game. Despite a stout one-two punch at cornerback in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, Waddle couldn’t be stopped. 

He caught eight of nine targets for 142 yards and a touchdown without Hill manipulating the defense. Durham Smythe caught four passes for 32 yards, but no other receiving option exceeded 30 yards in the 30-0 win. 

Beyond the Top Two

The combination of Hill and Waddle powered a top-12 scoring offense in back-to-back seasons, but both Smith and Achane leapfrogged Waddle’s usage last season. 

The Dolphins rarely utilized a tight end in the first two seasons running Mike McDaniel’s offense —finishing as a bottom-two team in tight end targets back-to-back seasons. Everything changed in 2024, as Smith was the fourth-most-targeted tight end last season, and Miami ranked seventh in tight end targets, according to Fantasy Pros. 

Smith led the team with 88 receptions and eight touchdowns on 111 total targets. A steady presence in the middle of the field, he averaged 10 yards per reception and was targeted at least seven times in three of six games Tagovailoa missed. 

Like most of Miami’s playmakers, Smith was at his best when Tagovailoa was behind center, but his ability to produce even with a backup quarterback underscores how secure his role is heading into Year 2 in Miami.

While Smith’s role appears locked in, Achane’s usage could evolve after 281 total touches last year. His volume ballooned after 130 touches as a rookie and he finished as the second-most-targeted running back in the league last season behind Alvin Kamara. 

Achane began the year catching 14 straight targets for 145 yards and a touchdown, but Week 16 against the 49ers was the only time he topped 60 receiving yards over his next 15 games. Only nine of his 87 targets fell incomplete, but the lack of explosive plays suggests that he was often asked to move the sticks instead of being the home-run hitter that averaged 7.7 yards per touch as a rookie. 

Miami was a top three offense, averaging at least 6 yards per play in 2022 and 2023, but fell to 23rd last year. Injuries and depth limited the offense, and Achane was often the answer when aiming to keep up with a team-high 67 first downs. 

Defenses contained what was once a high-flying attack, and if the offense is going to bounce back, it starts with reestablishing balance and ensuring their top playmakers are consistently involved. While stability at quarterback and improved offensive line play are steps in the right direction, Waddle is one of Miami’s most vital players heading into 2025.

The Dolphins still have no shortage of dynamic playmakers, but with Hill’s long-term outlook unclear, don’t forget who they drafted — and paid — to be the future of the position. Waddle may not have looked like “the guy” last season, but Miami’s investment and expectations haven’t changed.

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