Broncos coach Sean Payton said WR Jaylen Waddle has a “strain” and will return within 4-5 days.

06 August 2026

Parsing injury language is always tricky, but when Payton said Waddle was experiencing muscle tightness, a strain made sense. The tissue was reacting to something. Waddle did not practice on Thursday and was seen limping while wearing a sleeve on his left leg. The fact that the team thinks he can return in just under a week from yesterday’s injury is good to hear. Week 1 is still a month away, so we like his odds of suiting up. The injury might end up costing him preseason game reps, though. We expect the team to be cautious with their star wide receiver.