Jaylen Waddle sprinting into the Dolphins' record books at an impressive pace

In 2021, the Miami Dolphins made Jaylen Waddle the highest-drafted wide receiver in team history. Fast-forward five seasons, and Waddle is proving he was worth the price of admission coming out of Alabama. And with six games still to go in the 2025 season, Waddle's already etched his name atop some of Miami's best wide receivers in team history.

Jaylen Waddle holds Dolphins' receiving-yards record through 5 seasons

In his first year with Miami, Waddle set a then-rookie record with 104 receptions, turning them into 1,015 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He immediately solidified himself as the Dolphins' WR1, but that all changed a year later when Miami traded for Tyreek Hill.

Waddle took a backseat to Hill, but only mildly, as he still finished with 1,356 receiving yards, eight touchdowns, and 18.1 yards per reception (all career highs) in 2022. Much of the same occurred a year later when Waddle completed his third consecutive 1,000-yard season in just 14 games played.

Waddle had the worst season of his career in 2024, but so did several other Dolphins players, as they struggled on an offense that began to spiral downward without Tua Tagovailoa under center for much of it. Hill, for instance, failed to reach 1,000 yards after exceeding 1,700 the two seasons prior.

Yet, after Hill's gruesome season-ending injury earlier this year, some forgot how good Waddle is and were skeptical of him taking over as a WR1. However, he's reminded us of his memorable rookie season, and entering Week 12 of his fifth year, Waddle leads among an elite list of names who have made their careers in South Florida.

With six games still to go to complete his fifth season, Waddle is already looking in the rearview when it comes to total receiving yards through the first five years of a Dolphins career. And with names like Chris Chambers, Mark Clayton, Mark Duper, and Jarvis Landry staring up at you, that's a highly impressive accomplishment.

It does need to be noted that the game of football is more pass-heavy now than it's ever been. Additionally, Landry's total accounts for only four seasons with Miami before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. And while "The Mark Brothers" had the great fortune of playing with the legendary Dan Marino, Waddle with Tua Tagovailoa is still miles better than anyone Chambers had paired with.

Full transparency, Chambers is probably the most impressive on this list, given that he played with Jay Fielder to start his career, and a list of other starting quarterbacks Dolphins fans would prefer to forget. Chambers also played with the great Ricky Williams under defensive-minded head coach Dave Wannstedt, who wanted to run his leading running back into the ground by continuously pounding the rock. (Williams averaged 24.2 carries per game from 2002-2003.)

Nevertheless, Waddle's accomplishments cannot be understated. And while a part of the fan base would have preferred Miami to have stayed pat in the 2021 NFL Draft and selected Ja'Marr Chase at No. 3, Waddle has proven his worth as a top-10 pick. So much so that other teams were allegedly offering the Dolphins a first-round pick and more up to the trade deadline for Waddle, and Miami said no thanks.

Quite frankly, I believe the Dolphins made the right move in holding onto Waddle. Netting a first-round pick in return means you'll be looking to draft his replacement, which is never a sure thing. Meanwhile, Waddle is on pace for his fourth 1,000-yard season and is proving himself as a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver despite being highly underrated.

Touchdowns remain an area of improvement for Waddle. He has just 25 to date for his career. But much of that has to do with Hill in the picture. In fact, one has to wonder what Waddle's numbers would look like if Hill hadn't entered the frame.

Good receivers are hard to come by, and Miami nailed it in 2021 with Waddle's selection. Plus, with his fairly reasonable contract for a player of his caliber, Waddle could potentially break a few other Dolphins records during his time in Miami.