Jaylen Waddle received glowing reviews from Nick Saban and Sean Payton's old QB

The Denver Broncos left no stone unturned while working through the Jaylen Waddle trade.

Before acquiring the wide receiver from the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos spoke with several of Waddle's former teammates and at least one of his old coaches. While speaking at the NFL's annual league meeting in Arizona last month, Denver coach Sean Payton was asked what Waddle brings to the team.

"[H]e is explosive," Payton said. "I think if you asked me the single biggest thing that I think he does well is he’s extremely fast and he stops fast. He can sink his hips in transition and then the other thing that came up time and time again is how competitive he is.

"I’m very close with Teddy Bridgewater, we’re very close with Coach [Nick] Saban and we’re close with a lot of people who have had the chance to work with him [Waddle]. Whenever you get into a big-name free agent or a trade of this magnitude, all the other stuff is important to research. When it comes to Waddle’s all the other stuff, it was 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. So I think obviously it will help us.”

The 27-year-old veteran received glowing marks from everyone, making the trade an easy decision for Denver's front office. He's obviously a talented receiver, but Waddle is also a great personality fit for the Broncos' locker room, and Payton has worked to build up the team's culture since he arrived in 2023.

Waddle should fit right in, and he's poised to make an instant impact this fall.

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