To say that the Miami Dolphins were one of the most disappointing teams in the league last season would be a huge understatement.
Tua Tagovailoa’s injury took a significant toll on the offense, and they never found their rhythm, even after he returned to the field.
Unsurprisingly, that affected his weapons’ numbers, including Jaylen Waddle’s.
Talking to ESPN insider Marcel Louis-Jacques, the young wideout admitted that he didn’t have a good season, and he vowed to bounce back this campaign:
“Waddle admitted that last season was ‘definitely the year that I didn’t want as an individual,’ and he identified an area in his game that needed immediate improvement,” Louis-Jacques wrote. “After watching the film, definitely a lot of hand eye (coordination) — I feel like I’m trying to move without the ball too much,” Waddle said. “And just the simple things, just timing, getting smoother in and out of my routes. Pretty much that.”
Waddle was fresh off signing a big contract with the Dolphins, so watching his numbers take a dive was far from encouraging.
He finished the campaign with just 58 receptions for 744 receiving yards and a couple of receiving touchdowns.
Now, with Tagovailoa back to full strength, there will be no more room for excuses in South Beach.
The Dolphins showed glimpses of having an explosive offense in the first year of the Mike McDaniel era, but that wasn’t the case at all last season.
They also had some head-scratching performances on defense.
That’s why this might be the final year of the McDaniel era in Miami if the Dolphins don’t put an end to their postseason-win drought once and for all.
Waddle will most likely be the team’s primary source of offense in the passing game, even ahead of fellow star wideout Tyreek Hill.
And after putting pen to paper on such a big-money deal, he will be under a lot of pressure to deliver and bounce back.
