With as bad a roster as they had, the Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason investing every resource they had into improving it. And the results of attacking that process were having the best consensus offseason in the AFC West, which means that they can quickly make up ground in the division.
But the Silver and Black still have a long way to go. An 'A' roster still beats a 'B' roster, even if the latter improved more than the former. Such was the case for the Denver Broncos, who began the offseason with a roster that made the AFC Championship Game. They didn't need an overhaul, but to fine-tune.
Denver went too far in the wrong direction in terms of not trying to upgrade its roster, but they did make a splash for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. That seems like a great move for a Broncos team on the cusp of a Super Bowl, but it could easily backfire on them. And it's not just Raider Nation saying it.
Las Vegas Raiders' rival Broncos could soon regret major Jaylen Waddle swing
Admittedly, when the trade was first announced, it felt like Sean Payton gave the Raiders a gut punch. The details of the deal and time providing some perspective, however, have made the agreement look less favorable for Denver, and therefore, less devastating for Las Vegas.
Beacher Report's Brad Gagnon recently detailed how each of the NFL's major offseason moves could backfire. Included, of course, was the Broncos' acquisition of Waddle and a fourth-rounder for a first, third and fourth-round pick.
"The Presumed Rationale:Â One more weapon for Bo Nix in order to take that next step toward the Super Bowl after falling just short in 2025.Â
"The Potential Backfire: That's a lot of lost draft capital for a guy who has rarely been relied on as a No. 1 receiver. The five-year veteran has just one season with 1,100 yards or more than six touchdowns, but he'll cost $27.1 million against the cap in 2027. This is a big change that may not have been necessary, and could potentially do more harm than good."
As Gagnon outlined, the rationale is sound. Denver needed to upgrade its offensive weapons to make life easier for Bo Nix. This would give them a better chance at getting over the hump in the AFC while in a contending window with Nix still on his rookie deal.
However, the flip side of the coin is that the Broncos gave up a ton for Waddle, more than the New England Patriots gave the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown, an undoubtedly better receiver who is just a year older. Plus, Waddle just may not be the right guy to make that massive difference.
Waddle hasn't eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards since 2023, and his overall production hasn't been as strong since it peaked in 2022. Essentially, he is an expensive No. 2 wideout who costed a lot of capital to acquire, which is what Denver already had in Courtland Sutton.
Ideally, the Broncos live to regret forking out so much for Waddle. That's the nature of NFL rivalries and cheering against your divisional foes. But if Raider Nation thought they were being biased and rationalizing why Waddle may not be the answer in Denver, they now know they aren't alone.
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