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Broncos have few options after latest Jaylen Waddle injury news
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- Broncos have few options after latest Jaylen Waddle injury news
The Denver Broncos offense has struggled all year, though they finally seemed to put up a valiant effort in their 30-16 Week 7 victory over the Cardinals. But now Jaylen Waddle, their top wideout, is in danger of missing their Week 8 divisional matchup against the Chiefs.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , Waddle aggravated a chest injury on a WR reverse against the Cardinals, putting his status against Kansas City in question. Waddle's status for the game will be determined based on how practice goes this week, according to the report.
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Waddle dropped the pitch on an attempted reverse, then, when he fell on top of the fumbled ball to recover it, Josh Sweat fell on top of him, aggravating the injury.
Broncos offense hasn't been good with Waddle
The Broncos certainly expected to get more production out of Waddle when they traded the 30th overall pick and the 94th pick in the 2026 draft to the Dolphins while also swapping fourth-round picks next year in order to acquire the speedy sixth-year receiver.
But it just hasn't worked out for the team so far, as third-year quarterback Bo Nix continues to go through growing pains while operating under head coach Sean Payton's offense.
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Also read: Stefon Diggs crashes party near top of Week 8 fantasy WR rankings
Waddle's production has been anemic so far in 2026. Through 7 games, he has just 26 receptions on 45 targets for 276 yards and 1 TD. If he doesn't miss Sunday's game and plays all 17 this year, he's on track for 63 receptions, 670 yards, and 2 TDs. That's not the type of production you expect when you trade a first-round and third-round pick for a player.
His best game so far this year was against the Jaguars when he caught 8 of his 10 targets for 138 yards. But that game was a major outlier. He's had fewer than 5 receptions in five games this year, and his next highest yards total after the Jacksonville game came last week when he caught four passes for 48 yards.
Jaylen Waddle's injury update offers cold comfort to a Broncos receiving corp that is underwhelming this year.Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Broncos have few options behind Waddle
Despite his lack of production this year, Waddle is by far the most productive wideout the Broncos have on their roster. As a team, the 1,271 passing yards they've accumulated is good enough for 27th in the league. Their seven passing touchdowns have them tied for 24th.
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A lot of that is the function of the offense. Sean Payton simply does not trust Bo Nix to do much in his offense, so there are a lot of screen passes and throws at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Related: Why fantasy players should start Bo Nix in Week 7
Right now, Bo Nix's average depth of target per pass is a measly 6.9 yards, according to PFF , good enough for 31st in the league. Nix only has 7 big-time throws on the season, good enough for 19th. But despite the lack of downfield passing, Nix is still 29th in turnover-worthy plays with 12.
No wonder Sean Payton might be a little hesitant to let him rip.
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But that hesitation means that the Broncos' second-leading receiver isn't a wide receiver at all. Running back RJ Harvey has one reception fewer than Waddle this season, with 25, and his 217 receiving yards are second on the team. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton has only 16 receptions for 168 yards and 1 TD in 7 games. Sutton is coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons , but he won't even get to 500 yards this season if things continue the way they are.
Beyond that, the Broncos have Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr., neither of whom has even reached double-digit receptions yet.
Chiefs present especially difficult problem
The timing of this Waddle injury hurts as well.
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The Chiefs already beat the Broncos badly in Week 1, 31-10, and their defense is one of the best in the league so far. The Chiefs are allowing just 17.2 points per game, second in the league.
Related: Bo Nix is playing for his Broncos future right now
However, their pass defense has been a bit suspect, allowing 223.8 yards through the air per game, good enough for 17th in the league. Meanwhile, the Broncos' passing offense is averaging just 181.6 yards per game, which ranks 26th. So we have a classic case of a stoppable force meeting a movable object.
Bo Nix was 17-28 (60.7%) for 131 yards, 1TD, and 1 INT the last time he played the Chiefs. Those numbers could look even worse if Jaylen Waddle isn't involved in Sunday's game.
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This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
