NFL Week 1 Roundup Through a Dolphins Lens: Tough Start for Waddle, Bad Day for Bain, More

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season offered a tough start for several former Miami Dolphins players, highlighted by Jaylen Waddle’s debut with the Denver Broncos. On Monday night, Denver fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-10, and Waddle produced 2 receiving yards on one catch, including a costly third-down drop in the third quarter. The article notes that the catch matched Waddle’s career-low in games with at least 30 offensive snaps. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick played six snaps for the New York Jets before leaving with a groin injury and is considered unlikely for Week 2 vs. the Green Bay Packers. Other former Dolphins—Mike McDaniel, Butch Barry, Alec Ingold and Cole Strange—combined in a surprising Chargers loss to Arizona. The roundup also points to Rueben Bain Jr., whose arm-length concerns showed up in Denver’s earlier contest against Cincinnati.