Not even 24 hours after the Broncos’ season ended, left tackle Garett Bolles diagnosed what was missing from the team as it turned ahead to the 2026 offseason.
“We just need a couple more playmakers,” Bolles said back then.
Four-and-a-half months later, the Broncos roster contains wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and rookie running back Jonah Coleman. For the latter, the outlook is unknown, although optimism is high that he can have a role in the Broncos’ backfield right away, while eventually being ready to step in for J.K. Dobbins should the seven-year veteran land on injured reserve for a sixth-consecutive season.
ADVERTISEMENT
But it’s Waddle who is likely to be instantly transformative. And he’s exactly the ilk of playmaker of which Bolles spoke when the pain of the 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots had yet to begin healing.
“I mean, our team was just missing one piece, and we were missing that Jaylen Waddle,” Bolles said when he sat down for an interview on NFL Network’s The Insiders program Monday.”We were missing that electrifying dude that could come across the middle, can get the deep ball, can have that speed around the edge when we hand it off to him when he comes in motion and all of the above.
“I mean, the dude is electrifying.”
"Our team was just missing one piece"@gbolles72 on the addition of @D1__JW @RapSheet | @PatrickClaybon | @Broncos pic.twitter.com/3UPCOjdPyX
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 8, 2026
WADDLE SEEMS TO FIT RIGHT IN WITH THE BRONCOS
“He brings that juice,” Bolles said. “He brings a smile on his face every single day. And having him in the huddle is electrifying. We couldn’t be more blessed to have a guy like that, a big-time playmaker for us, definitely, when we have this tough schedule coming up for us.”
ADVERTISEMENT
What Bolles and the Broncos hope is that the presence of Waddle makes it more difficult to account for their other receiving targets, led by Courtland Sutton, who had his second-straight 1,000-yard campaign last season.
“And I know him and Courtland — which I’ve had a relationship with Cortland for so many years, and what he can do — and those two are just freaks of nature, man,” Bolles said. “I mean, it’s going to be really hard for defenses to try to scheme us up when you have two electrifying receivers like that.
“And you got Marvin Mims, you got Pat Bryant, and you talk about a receiver corps that’s just humble and hungry and ready to rock and roll by two leaders in Courtland and Waddle. So, I’m so excited he’s a part of our team.”
The cherry on the sundae is how well Waddle fits in the locker room.
“He’s one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever met,” Bolles said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Waddle and the Broncos got back to work Monday with their second week of organized team activities. The team continues practicing through next week’s mandatory minicamp, which runs June 16-18. After that, the Broncos won’t have any full-team organized work until it reports for training camp five-and-a-half weeks later.