Jaylen Waddle makes massive leap in his second Dolphins season | Schad
Jaylen Waddle caught the ball at the Bills' 42-yard line and there were six defensive players in the area, including one with a decent angle, but no matter.
"He took off," Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recalled this week. "And he was gone."
Waddle's 67-yard touchdown on Saturday night was his longest of the season. And, yes, Waddle was running as fast as it seemed, reaching a season-best 21.11 miles per hour.
Waddle's top speed?
"Not necessarily," Waddle said with a grin this week.
Waddle was not named a Pro Bowler, though one could argue his inclusion over Ja'Marr Chase or Davante Adams. Perhaps he and Tua will travel to Las Vegas together as alternate selections.
But something else is of far greater importance. Waddle has made an incredible leap forward in Year 2. Waddle is making the big plays Miami expected, with 10 catches of 30 yards or more.
"It's more of a you know, deep ball opportunity," Waddle said. "And then scheme, scheming things up with Mike (McDaniel) and Wes (Welker) and then just putting me in position and the quarterback giving me a chance."
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Jaylen is making the most of his opportunities.
Tua and Welker, Waddle's position coach, say Waddle is more precise and detailed as a sophomore.
"I think he’s improved a lot on understanding the game better with his splits, where he wants to be, what he knows to get him open in certain areas of the field with coverages that we’ve studied against these teams that we’ve played," Tua said.
Tua credited Welker, who said that since the beginning of this season, Waddle has made great strides.
"A lot of details and things early on in the year that you know, weren't quite there yet," Welker said. "It's still doing really well just because of what a freak athlete he is and how fast he is and how he's able to beat his one-on-one battles. But you know, him just really progressing as a player, the details over and over, getting all these different reps, 'Hey, do it this way' to now it's just, it's starting to hit."
Waddle is one of the most popular players in the NFL, largely because of his "Waddle" touchdown celebration. Yet, remarkably, he's overshadowed by teammate Tyreek Hill, a superstar.
"Cheetah deserves all the praise and all the advertising because he's just one of those players," Hill said. "So I have no problem with it."
Hill said this week Waddle should be a Pro Bowler. Hill has said that Waddle has the physical talents to do all the of the things he has done and can do on the football field.
"He's always positive," Waddle said.
Waddle is confident, but nowhere near as brash as Hill.
But that does not mean that we should overlook Waddle's potential superstardom.
Yes, Hill is second in the NFL with 1,529 receiving yards.
But Waddle is 7th in the NFL with 1,117 yards.
Waddle is living up to his expectations as the sixth overall pick in an NFL Draft.
Welker noted this week that teams are playing cornerbacks in man coverage with two deep safeties.
"Nobody does that," Welker said. "You don't see that."
Let's not downplay why teams have to play that type of defense against the Dolphins. This is not just because of the presence of Hill, but the presence of Hill and Waddle.
Welker says Waddle is now "honing his craft."
Tua says this year Waddle "doesn’t hesitate. He takes off, he slashes, he runs."
Waddle recently turned 24 years old. How far can he run?
Does Waddle dream about Pro Bowls and Super Bowl MVPs and even, one day, perhaps the Hall of Fame?
"Yeah, I try not to you know, put a ceiling on myself," Waddle said.
It's never seemed higher.
Joe Schad can be reached jschad@pbpost.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle makes massive improvement in Year 2
