3 leaps that Miami Dolphins Jaylen Waddle needs to make in 2022

Jaylen Waddle was everything we wanted him to be and more in 2021. He overachieved in nearly every aspect. But 2022 is a different year with new expectations. With that being said, Jaylen Waddle needs to take his game to a new level in 2022.

The Miami Dolphins are in a mostly dormant period of the year. Free agency has pretty much come and gone and there are 16 days left until the NFL draft. The thing is the Dolphins don’t have a pick until the 3rd round, the #102 to be exact. This means that it’s currently at a docile level in terms of Miami Dolphin news.

Sure, the potential of Melvin Ingram signing with Miami, which I’m all for, sprung up yesterday. That’s all well and good. Overall though, it’s been pretty quiet since the Dolphins shocked the known multi-verse when they traded for Tyreek Hill. And it’s that trade for Tyreek Hill that got me thinking about Jaylen Waddle and what he needs to do to have an even better sophomore season than he did his rookie season.

When Waddle was traded up for, many fans had a big issue with it. I didn’t because Waddle was the guy I wanted at #6 if Kyle Pitts didn’t fall there. I Ioved Waddle’s speed and ability to wreck a game all by himself if the ball was given to him. I still love that quality about him.

Last year Waddle broke the rookie receiving record for receptions with 104 catches. He had 1,015 yards and six TDs along with that record. Basically, Waddle was the only bright spot on a Dolphin’s offense that was mostly inept at doing anything besides causing all of us to roll our eyes so hard that Earth would stop spinning.

Though he was a rookie, Waddle had to assume the role of a single mother being asked to not only wash the dishes but dry them as well. He was asked to do everything in case you didn’t get that Superbad reference. Whenever the Dolphins needed a big catch on 3rd down they mainly went to Jaylen Waddle. Even though everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going, it still went that way and most of the time Waddle came down with it. Here’s the stat showing how good Waddle was at converting 3rd downs into 1st downs.

There’s room to improve. If you want to say that I’m nuts or that I’ve lost it go ahead. But I think even if you asked Jaylen Waddle himself, he would tell you that he has to raise his game if the Dolphins are going to take that elusive step towards the playoffs.

With the addition of Mike McDaniel, Tyreek Hill, and even Terron Armstead, the Dolphin’s offense can’t possibly be as bad as it was last year. It’s just an impossibility for that to occur. Those additions should give a guy like Waddle, who was by far the focal point of the offense last year, an easier time to succeed.

With much of the attention going to be placed on Tyreek Hill, Waddle should be able to quite literally do whatever he wants. Mike McDaniel, when he’s not doing the luau with Tua, will be able to unlock ways to get the ball in Waddle’s hands on all parts of the field.

Terron Armstead anchoring a revamped offensive line  ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ will give Tua more time to throw than the nanoseconds he had last year thus leading to more chunk plays for Waddle and the offense.

But like I said, Jaylen Waddle has to put in the work now and in the future and every indication is that he has been doing that. He cut the dreads, though wonderful they were, to make himself more aerodynamic just in case his helmet gets ripped off. You have to like that commitment right there. He will have to do more than be prepared for the unexpected. Here’s what I think he needs to do to get better and be listed as the best in the game.