Why Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle isn't making anticipated impact - ESPN

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After a failed third-down conversion Sunday in a game filled with failed third-down plays, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle stormed into the bench area, ripped his helmet from his head as if it were in flames and slammed its crown into the bench.

It summed up a frustrating day for the receiver, who finished with two receptions for 19 yards in a 23-17 victory over the host Los Angeles Chargers. It marked the third time in five games in which he finished with fewer than 20 receiving yards, and the fourth in which he gained 35 or fewer.

Waddle was by far the Broncos' most significant acquisition in an offseason in which they chose to mostly run it back with a roster that got them to the AFC Championship Game last season. Denver sent first- and third-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to acquire him in March in addition to a fourth-round pick swap. But Waddle, who had 910 receiving yards and six TDs last season, has been rendered ornamental much of the time in an offense that coach Sean Payton said has a long list of problems. And as the 3-2 Broncos get set to host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (3-2) on Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Empower Field at Mile High, Prime Video), they're trying to figure out how to unleash Waddle.

«I'm watching the film offensively, and there are a ton of things we're not doing well right now,» Payton said Monday. «So, that has to improve.»

Payton was giddy about Waddle's arrival this spring, calling the speed, acceleration, toughness and locker room demeanor of the receiver a «10, 10, 10, 10, 10.» Throughout training camp, Waddle flashed his ability to turn any reception into a field-flipping play as a potent vertical threat.

"[That] makes him so tough