Jaylen Waddle starting slow in Week 1 vs. Patriots

Update: Jaylen Waddle must have read the article because he then caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter just before halftime.

The AFC East is on full display as the Miami Dolphins are hosting the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the NFL season. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 7-10 passing to start the game and has targeted his shiny new wide receiver Tyreek Hill five times. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for second-year wideout Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle has yet to be targeted in the game with nine minutes left in the second quarter. Other than Hill, Chase Edmonds has been targeted once, Alec Ingold twice, and Durham Smythe has one target. We knew Hill's presence would alter the target share in the passing game, but it wasn’t predicted to be this stark.

Waddle was banged up during the preseason but didn’t have an injury designation heading into this game. He is on the field, but is either not on the same page as his quarterback or is just getting swallowed by the New England secondary.