How one of college football's biggest games led to Broncos trading for Jaylen Waddle

The Denver Broncos are about one week removed from making a big trade to acquire wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins. It is being considered one of the most intriguing moves any team has made on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. 

It is a move that gives the Broncos a chance to add a brand new dimension to the defense, and it's a move that has been in the works for some time now. If you recall last season, the Broncos attempted to get Waddle from the Dolphins ahead of the trade deadline. 

As told by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Broncos have been pursuing this deal ever since. A key factor was the Dolphins firing general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel. The incoming regime led by new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley was willing to work with the Broncos on a deal that made sense for both sides. 

Bo Nix helped to get Jaylen Waddle to Denver

The Broncos have several resources they can check with when it comes to Waddle, starting with former college teammate Pat Surtain II. But Bo Nix, then the quarterback at Auburn, played Waddle's Alabama team in a wild 2019 Iron Bowl game, one of the biggest rivalry games in college football.

Auburn won that game 48-45, knocking the Crimson Tide out of playoff contention. 

"Paton’s staff was already doing background work on Waddle. Bo Nix told Paton that, in the 2019 Iron Bowl, Waddle put together one of the greatest individual games he’d ever seen, even as Nix’s Auburn team beat Waddle’s Alabama team 48–45. Safety Brandon Jones was a resource, too, having covered Waddle for three years in practice in Miami. And one of Paton’s scouts with a tight relationship with Nick Saban reached out, and Saban told him that Waddle was competitive, tough, sudden, and could drop his weight as fast as anyone he’d ever coached", wrote Breer. 

Sean Payton, having the backing of his starting quarterback and a strong endorsement from arguably the greatest coach in college football history, helped get the team exactly what it has been looking for. 

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It's a transaction the Broncos have been eyeing for nearly half a year. Time will tell if it's going to pay off. 

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