Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has been getting plenty of passes thrown his way early in training camp, but he’s not claiming that means he has moved ahead of Tyreek Hill as the Dolphins’ No. 1 receiver.
Asked by a reporter at his training camp media appearance whether he’s now quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite receiver, Waddle answered, “I wouldn’t say that.”
The observation that Waddle is getting most of Tagovailoa’s attention on the practice field, combined with Tagovailoa’s comments about his relationship with Hill needing work, could be viewed as a sign that Hill’s role in the offense will be reduced. But Waddle said Tagovailoa is just throwing to the open man on whatever play they’re practicing.
“I think Tua’s just playing what he sees. Trying my best to get open throughout the routes. He’s seeing me, try to hit me. Like I said, we got a lot of weapons, not just focused on me,” Waddle said.
Waddle said it’s a strength of the Dolphins’ offense that it has himself, Hill, running back De’Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller among the weapons for Tagovailoa to throw to.
“We’ve got a lot of playmakers. So the amount of playmakers that we have, it makes it much easier to play on Sundays. Having the defense have to defend not just me and Cheetah, but have weapons in the backfield and the tight end,” Waddle said.
It’s an offense that gives Tagovailoa a lot of targets. And Waddle is not proclaiming himself Tagovailoa’s favorite target.