Jaylen Waddle was supposed to be the final piece. Six games in, he’s starting to look like Denver’s biggest question mark. The Broncos kept most of the roster from their AFC Championship Game run and traded for Waddle to put them over the top. Instead, he’s battled one injury after another, and on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, he was walking to the locker room before halftime.
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“Status alert: Jaylen Waddle headed to locker room early Thursday,” Underdog NFL shared on X.
With 42 seconds left in the first half, the Broncos had been pushed back to their own 6-yard line, facing 1st-and-16, when their biggest offseason acquisition headed to the locker room with his helmet in hand.
According to the Prime Video broadcast, Waddle was first checked in the medical tent. It was initially unclear whether he was hurt on the play or dealing with a pre-existing problem. Denver Post columnist Troy Renck soon reported that Waddle had possibly suffered a shoulder injury, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed it.
“Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle is questionable to return tonight due to a shoulder injury,” Schefter wrote on X.
Sports injury expert Dr. Jesse Morse noted on X that Waddle’s body language could have pointed to a rib injury before the shoulder diagnosis was confirmed.
“Jaylen Waddle grabbing his left shoulder pad as he heads to the locker room early. Sometimes guys do that for rib (chest) injuries… Shoulder confirmed… Most common injury to the shoulder in the NFL, especially for a wide receiver, is an AC sprain… If it’s a type one, there’s a possibility he can get a cortisone/pain numbing shot and return to the game.”
Sure enough, Waddle returned to start the third quarter, with Schefter among the first to report it on X. Still, concerns about his health remain.
In August, Waddle suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. Those strains affect less than 10% of the muscle and usually heal within a couple of weeks. Then, after the Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams, he was spotted in a walking boot. It turned out to be a minor foot issue, and he practiced through it without missing a game.
Those setbacks may help explain his underwhelming start in Denver. Through his first five games, Waddle caught 18 of 31 targets for just 204 yards and one touchdown. The only outlier was during the Broncos’ home game against the Jaguars, when he had 138 yards with 8 catches. But in the games that followed, things didn’t look good.
Thursday followed the same pattern. When he left the field, he had two catches for 15 yards on five targets. By the fourth quarter, he had improved that to four catches for 24 yards. The Broncos had brought him to the team to be a vertical option alongside Courtland Sutton, but so far, that hasn’t materialised.
To his credit, Waddle knows where he’s coming up short. After the Week 4 loss, he owned up to his mistakes, particularly after a costly drop against the 49ers.
“We’re in prime position to score points and they call a play, and I didn’t execute… We’ve just got to make plays on a more consistent basis, that’s what it comes down to. … That’s me, too, find a way anytime I get the opportunity to put us in a position for points.”
Sean Payton wants to make the most of the young receiver, as he previously mentioned. “You’re like, all right, we have to find more touches for … X amount of receivers, even when [defenses] are in these deeper zones. We’ll be able to do that, but we start with a mirror right away with ourselves.”
In any case, Waddle wasn’t the only Bronco to visit the medical tent Thursday. Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach was evaluated there and went to the locker room before halftime. He was back on the sideline for the third quarter, with Denver leading by more than 10 points.
“Malcolm Roach came out of the medical tent and immediately got his helmet and went on the field,” Broncos beat writer Zac Stevens wrote on X. “He’s good.”
Seeing Waddle and Roach disappear into the blue medical tent sparked panic across the Broncos fanbase, and their quick returns showed real toughness. But toughness alone won’t carry Denver through a grueling stretch, especially with several key players already sidelined.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Patrick Surtain II are both out with ankle injuries and did not practice this week. Cornerback Riley Moss was limited in practice with a rib injury, while safety Brandon Jones, defensive end Sai’vion Jones, and guard Ben Powers practiced despite their injuries.
The Broncos came into Thursday at 3-2, and to build on that record, they need starters like Waddle and Roach to stay on the field. For now, the focus is on holding their lead over Seattle until the final whistle.