Dolphins’ wide receivers coach Wes Welker evaluates Jaylen Waddle’s breakout season

Who knew a penguin and cheetah would work so well together?

Dolphins’ receiver Jaylen Waddle hit a tough two-game stretch with just 40 yards and bounced back in a big way on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Waddle made the most of his three receptions, closing with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. The second-year receiver is first in the league with an average of 18 yards per catch. He has seven touchdowns and 1,117 yards on 62 receptions with three games left this season.

Miami’s wide receivers coach, Wes Welker, was asked about Waddle’s strong season on Thursday afternoon.

“I think how much better he’s gotten as the year has gone on,” Welker said. “I think there were a lot of details and things early on in the year that weren’t quite there yet. He’s still doing really well just because of what a freak athlete he is and how fast he is and how he’s able to beat his one-on-one battles. But him just really progressing as a player, the details, over and over getting all of these different reps. Now it’s starting to hit. It’s been really cool to see the progress he’s made over the course of the season.”

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s league-leading 8.6 yards per attempt is possible with Waddle’s ability to attack open space in the secondary.

“When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s gone,” Welker said. “He’s got the mindset, once he gets the ball in his hands to take it to the house. It’s something you see quite a bit. He’s done an amazing job across the board and being on top of the details and really kind of honing in on his craft.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen with him this year of really jumping on that stuff.”