Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle has been impressing the Broncos with his route running ability

The Broncos had their first look at Jaylen Waddle on the practice field last week during their first set of OTA practices, and the reviews, as expected, have been great. He looked fast, explosive, and as advertised, but one thing that has reportedly stood out to Sean Payton and the Broncos has been Waddle’s route-running ability.

Payton himself mentioned that Waddle had an incredible practice last week, and Waddle’s route-running ability and ability to get open combined with his elite speed have the Broncos staff pretty hyped up right now.

SI’s Albert Breer mentions Brandin Cooks time with the Saints early in his career with Payton. In 2015 and 2016, his second and third season in the league, Cooks had 1,138 yards and 9 touchdowns and 1,173 yards and 8 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. I would argue Waddle is a better and more accomplished player and should flourish with Sean Payton, Davis Webb, and quarterback Bo Nix.

Speaking of Waddle’s route running, this is something the Broncos have been lacking the past few seasons. Someone who can use their route running ability to get open, separate from the defender, and then use his elite speed to gain a chunk of yards or, better yet, take it in for a touchdown. This is the type of playmaker the Broncos are getting, and it will be exciting to see what he can do in this offense and how it opens things up for everyone else.

Waddle’s route running ability is not the only thing that has the Broncos excited about. Head coach Sean Payton recently praised Waddle’s makeup, personality, grit, and how he loves football and always has a smile on his face in an interview and would add that Waddle just had a practice that was “impressive”.

We are still in the middle of the offseason, OTA’s just started up, and it’s officially hype season. If Payton’s comments about Waddle do not fire you up right now, I don’t know what to tell you. He gives the Broncos something they desperately needed, and it is exciting to hear that he has been making this sort of impression on the team this early in the process.

I am excited to hear more and more about Waddle as we progress through the OTA and minicamp practices and into training camp and eventually into the season. He’s the playmaker this team needed and, hopefully, the final piece to an eventual Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos team.