WATCH: Former Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle jukes defender in Miami
The effects from an ankle injury from last season show no signs of lingering for No. 6 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft. Former Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle was seen at the Miami Dolphins’ recent joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons juking a defender out of his cleats.
Jaylen Waddle spent three seasons with Alabama before Miami drafted him. His last one was cut short due to the aforementioned ankle injury. He finished with 591 yards and four touchdowns in just six games.
The Dolphins took him to pair with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whom he played two seasons with at Alabama. He was the second receiver off the board after LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase.
Waddle made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears on Saturday in the preseason. He did not come away with a catch, or even a target, but did make his presence known on special teams returning punts.
Just like at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle is listed as a starting receiver on the Miami depth chart. With Will Fuller serving a suspension and DeVante Parker banged up, he could see a large role in week one.
He will next get a chance to take the field Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons. If he can make a few more plays like the one we saw in practice against the Falcons, it will certainly provide more to talk about. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play a limited role to avoid injury and overworking.
Whatever the case, we should see plenty more plays like this when the season begins Sept. 12 against the Patriots.
For all his accomplishments with Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle never won a national championship with him at Alabama before joining Miami. The quarterback led the Crimson Tide to a title the year before the receiver arrived. It is too early to say, but it would definitely be something if they could manage to win a Super Bowl together in Miami.