Champ Bailey excited about the 'explosiveness' Jaylen Waddle brings to Broncos
"They were missing something ... You need some explosiveness, and I'm glad they got him," Champ Bailey said after the Jaylen Waddle trade.
When a Hall of Famer weighs in on a blockbuster trade , you know it's a big deal. So when former Denver Bronco and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey gave his take on the trade for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, it caught the attention of fans. "(The Broncos ) needed some explosiveness on offense and I'm glad to see they went out and got one of the fastest guys in the league," Bailey told ESPN's Kevin Clark on the This Is Football podcast.
"I think they just got to keep him healthy. I know he's battled some things over the years, but he's worth it. I think his ceiling is still pretty high.
He's a younger guy (27), and they needed someone to sort of complement Courtland Sutton more consistently. " Waddle comes to the Broncos with over 5,000 receiving yards under his belt over five seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Denver's trade also emphasized the urgent need to build a championship-caliber team in the window they have during quarterback Bo Nix's rookie contract.
Bailey also spoke about the value someone like Waddle brings to an offense that struggled at various points through 2025. "You could see later down the stretch that they were missing something," Bailey said. "They won a lot of games with great defense and efficiency on offense and not making too many mistakes, but you're not going to win Super Bowls like that.