The Dolphins are trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos, Adam Schefter reported Tuesday morning.
It’s one of Miami’s biggest moves of NFL free agency thus far, as the Dolphins will receive a first-round pick (No. 20) along with late third- and fourth-round picks in this year’s draft. The Broncos will receive Waddle and Miami’s 2026 fourth-round pick.
What do both teams’ depth charts look like after the Waddle deal? Here’s a quick look at how things stand.
Dolphins’ Updated WR Depth Chart After Jaylen Waddle Trade
| WR | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tutu Atwell | Jalen Tolbert | Malik Washington |
| Terrace Marshall Jr. | Theo Wease Jr. | Tahj Washington |
| AJ Henning |
Oof. Looking a bit thin there.
The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill a month ago in a somewhat predictable move that saved the team $22.8 million against the salary cap. Hill, who turns 32 on March 1, is recovering from a knee injury and is currently an unrestricted free agent.
With Hill and Waddle out of the picture, Miami’s wide receiver room will look very different in 2026 (as will their QB room, which consists of recent acquisition Malik Willis and 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers). The Dolphins’ top targets right now are former Rams receiver Tutu Atwell and third-year wideout Malik Washington. Washington has nine starts for Miami over the last two years and recorded 540 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Dolphins also signed former Cowboys wideout Jalen Tolbert to a one year deal; Tolbert has 1,093 yards and 10 touchdowns across his four seasons in Dallas.
Broncos’ Updated WR Depth Chart After Jaylen Waddle Trade
| WR | ||
|---|---|---|
| Courtland Sutton | Jaylen Waddle | Troy Franklin |
| Lil’Jordan Humphrey | Marvin Mims Jr. | Pat Bryant |
| Michael Bandy |
The reigning AFC West champs are re-upping at the WR position this offseason.
Fresh off an AFC conference title game berth, the Broncos are wasting no time to get their rehabbing quarterback Bo Nix more talented pass-catching options. Waddle joins Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin as the top receivers in Denver’s WR room, followed by Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant.
Last season, Nix spread the ball around but Sutton gradually emerged as the de facto WR1, finishing the year with a team-high 74 catches for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns. The big-bodied Sutton will likely continue to remain Nix’s top target moving forward, but the addition of Waddle—who is already pretty familiar with a WR2 role—gives Denver an extra fearsome threat in the passing game. Waddle feels like a great fit for a team with invigorated Super Bowl aspirations in the loaded AFC, and the big-time deal shows the Broncos have a sense of urgency to extend last season’s unexpected success in 2026 and beyond.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Jaylen Waddle Trade Grades: Broncos Pay Premium for Star Receiver
- The Top Five 2026 NFL Free-Agency Signings
- The Special Thing Jaylen Waddle Did Immediately After He’d Been Traded to Broncos
- How Signing Hollywood Brown Reshapes Eagles’ Wide Receiver Depth Chart
- Malik Willis Could Be Stuck With the Worst Roster in the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaylen Waddle Trade: What Broncos, Dolphins WR Depth Charts Look Like After Deal.
