Worried about Miami Dolphins rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle’s health coming off of a 2020 ankle injury? Think again. The Dolphins didn’t seem deterred in Waddle’s health when they made him the No. 6 overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft; a decision that Miami now hopes will provided an added layer to their offense.
But, of course, your best ability in the NFL is availability — and so many Dolphins fans have been cautiously monitoring Waddle’s progress throughout the offseason program, hopeful that the receiver will be able to literally and figuratively hit the ground running in September. Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores offered no qualms with Waddle’s medical status when asked about him and reports of Waddle walking with a limp during a press conference at the end of the team’s mandatory minicamp earlier this month.
“I think (Waddle has) come in, he’s worked hard. He’s gotten to know his teammates. He’s learned the playbook. From a health standpoint – I think you saw him run yesterday – I’m looking at him run and it looks like he’s doing all right from that standpoint. I don’t know if he’s got a limp – I don’t know. Maybe he walks with a limp. It looks like he’s running pretty well to me though. You just said the same thing, so I don’t know. He looks fine to me physically and we’re excited to continue working with him,” said Flores.
And now, thanks to social media, you can judge for yourself on how Waddle appears to be moving.
What ankle injury?
Dolphins' 1st-RD pick Jaylen Waddle 👀
(🎥 @D1__JW) pic.twitter.com/CdhAnJiNI1
— PFF (@PFF) June 28, 2021
The scariest receiver in this class! His burst, stop/start, and elite long speed is tough to prepare for.
Waddle can break a game wide open without 15 targets. His ability to split dbl teams and brackets is deflating for the defense! pic.twitter.com/a3xX1vY16E
— Damian Parson 🏈 (@DP_NFL) June 29, 2021
If that isn’t a 100% healthy Waddle, it has to be pretty darn close. And with start/stop ability like this, Waddle will certainly offer a different flavor to the Dolphins’ wide receiver room versus what we saw last season. Perhaps most importantly, it appears as though Waddle is full speed with no limitations. And that’s with a month left to continue to train ahead of training camp, let alone the start of the regular season.
