$Signed a four-year, $27.09 million contact with the Dolphins in May of 2021. Dolphins exercised $15.59 million team option for 2025 in April of 2024.
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player’s percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Avg Depth of Target
9.9 Yds
Avg Yds Per Route Run
2.88
2023 NFL Game Log
View College Player Page
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player’s percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* All metrics are from his Pro Day (not the combine).
Waddle drew 23 more targets as a rookie than he did in his second season, yet finished his sophomore NFL campaign with 141 more yards on the strength of 11.6 YPT and a league-high 18.1 yards per catch. The trade for Tyreek Hill had a massive impact on Waddle’s role, pushing him to the perimeter more often and decreasing the attention he faced from defenses while also costing him volume. Given the unlikelihood of a repeat in those efficiency stats, even from a player of Waddle’s caliber, the hope for 2023 is that he can somewhat close the volume gap between himself and Hill, who finished last year with 53 more targets. Both are among the handful of fastest wide receivers in the league, if not the two fastest, and they’ll again account for a massive share of the passing volume in an offense with sketchy complementary options like Braxton Berrios, Cedrick Wilson and Durham Smythe. In fact, Wilson is the only other guy on the roster with even a 450-yard receiving season on his resume, and he had 62 percent of his career yardage in 2021 with the Cowboys before falling flat last season in Miami.
With his 140-target rookie season marked by an especially impressive finish last year, Waddle
might have been a candidate to lead the league in targets this season. Then he became the
No. 2 wide receiver on his own team after the Dolphins gave up five draft picks to acquire
Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs. Last year, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was either injured or working
with an injury-depleted receiving corps, and without much help from one of the worst offensive
lines in the league. This year, he’ll have Hill, Waddle and Cedrick Wilson at wide receiver, plus
tight end Mike Gesicki and a second massive offseason addition — LT Terron Armstead,
formerly of the Saints. Tagovailoa is positioned to succeed, and the Dolphins probably won’t
need Waddle to take on double-digit targets every week the way he did throughout the second
half of last season. Based on what we saw last year, though, it might only be a season or two
before Waddle surpasses fellow speed demon Hill as the No. 1 guy in Miami. The Alabama
product opened his career working the slot and saw steady volume from the jump, but it wasn’t until later in the year — when he got more snaps outside — that Waddle really broke through for the Dolphins. He scored four of his six receiving TDs from an inside alignment, but he also had less than half his yards there despite seeing 60 percent of his routes and 57 percent of his targets in the slot. That’s encouraging, to say the least, especially with new additions Hill and Wilson likely to take some of the slot work. Waddle has already proven he’s comfortable on the perimeter, or inside, and the improved team around him could help with efficiency to partially offset his reduced volume projection after the Hill trade.
Waddle’s final season at Alabama was cut short due to a dislocated ankle, but prior to the injury he had 567 yards and four scores in his first four games. He returned for a brief appearance in the College Football Playoff title game, catching three passes for 34 yards, but then opted against working out at a pro day. At 5-10, 180, Waddle is small, and while he wasn’t timed in the 40, the GPS data apparently showed he was the fastest receiver in the country. His lack of size could be an issue as it has been for players like DeSean Jackson and Marquise Brown, but keep in mind Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown are also of similar frames. Waddle will take his talents to Miami after the Dolphins drafted him sixth overall, reuniting him with former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Waddle will see targets right away, but he’ll have to compete with veteran DeVante Parker and free-agent acquisition Will Fuller.
