There isn’t a ton that the Miami Dolphins have left fighting for apart from their own pride. However, they weren’t willing to mail it in when taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a chance to play Grinch during the holidays, they could potentially end the season for their opponents with a win.
A back-and-forth first quarter saw both teams put up seven on the board. However, things turned disastrous for the Dolphins when their star wide receiver, who was having arguably the best season of his career, Jaylen Waddle, went down with an injury.
What Happened to Jaylen Waddle?
Miami, trying to play spoiler for the Buccaneers, put up 10 points in a hurry in the first half. However, in the second quarter, a rib injury forced him to exit the game. The seriousness of the situation, though, would only rise from there.
Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle is headed to the locker room with a rib injury. pic.twitter.com/d0kVU04sXI
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) December 28, 2025
As the team’s official page on X reported, “Injury Update | Jaylen Waddle has a rib injury and is questionable to return.” Without him, the offense for the Dolphins is going to have a hard time putting up any points on the board.
Becoming a part of an elite two-man wide receiver duo with Tyreek Hill, Waddle had to watch his fellow route runner go down with a season-ending, and potentially career-altering injury in the middle of the year.
Tasked with carrying a heavier workload than ever before, and with Tua Tagovailoa having one of his worst years as a passer, Waddle was still able to will himself to 910 receiving yards and six touchdowns through 15 games.
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Ranking at number 18 on PFSN’s WR Impact, it was a major jump from a pedestrian 41st-placed finish last year. It seemed to be more in line with his numbers earlier in his career, where he ranked as high as third in 2022.
After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season and Tagovailoa being benched near the end of the year, there is a high possibility that Miami will look to move in a different direction next season.
While it remains to be seen how they move forward with a new era of football for the Dolphins, there is a possibility that Waddle could become one of the names who could get moved in the offseason.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
