Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill have quickly become one of the best duos in league history, not just the current NFL. The Miami Dolphins’ star receivers have totaled close to 3,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. Now, the two will get to play together even more in the future.
With Waddle signing a three-year extension to stay with the Dolphins Thursday morning, the debate continues to rage on which wide receiver duo in the league today deserves the title of the best of all across the league.
Ranking Best Wide Receiver Duos
It’s hard today to simply rank the best wide receiver duos in the NFL. The Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and plenty of other teams have obvious claims to the crown.
It should be worth noting that this debate has been going on for a while now, with even some all-time great wideouts giving their opinions.
Ocho picks A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as the best WR duo in the #NFL. 👀
(via @NightcapShow_)#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/BAsz9CZWct
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) May 29, 2024
Do we agree with Chad Johnson here? Let’s break down the list to see where some of the league’s best currently rank.
10) Seattle Seahawks | DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett
Honorable Mention: Los Angeles Rams (Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp), Dallas Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks), and Cleveland Browns (Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy)
Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are a tough duo to grade. On one hand, they’ve had playoff success and are consistently dominant together. On the other hand, Lockett is aging, and we don’t know if Metcalf will be moved in the coming years.
Although this group’s best days may be behind them, they can still help Seattle in a big way and deserve to be on this list overall.
9) New York Jets | Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams
With a competent quarterback, Garrett Wilson could easily be considered an All-Pro wide receiver. The fact that he ‘s posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with four different QBs throwing him the ball is impressive.
The Jets’ addition of Mike Williams puts them on this list. The speedster formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers is a perfect fit for Wilson’s route-running abilities and should provide plenty of fireworks for an offense that was dead last in third-down and red-zone efficiency.
Don’t sleep on this tandem just because we don’t know how they look right now.
8) Minnesota Vikings | Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison
If we’re ranking who the best receiver in the game is, Minnesota can lay claim to that title with Justin Jefferson. Jordan Addison himself looked great in his rookie season despite losing Jefferson for much of the year, but the Vikings should be happy about this duo entering 2024.
So why is the best receiver and his second option just eighth on the list?
Much like many on this list of duos, there’s an unknown tied to the Vikings, with targets being shared here and with tight end T.J. Hockenson. They belong on the list, but there are more successful and dependable duos out there in the NFL.
7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mike Evans and Chris Godwin
As consistency comes, is there a more dependable group over a longer period than the Buccaneers’ duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin?
Both may be barely touching the 1,000-yard mark each season, but they’ve helped Tampa Bay stay a contender in an open NFC despite the change in quarterbacks. They have more playoff success than any duo on this list and deserve to be on here, even if the numbers aren’t nearly as good as some of the others.
6) Chicago Bears | Keenan Allen and DJ Moore
Like the Jets on this list, the Chicago Bears’ duo is a big unknown — especially if the right one is used.
With Rome Odunze on the roster, Chicago’s best duo could be the Washington star and Moore instead of the aging Allen. Nevertheless, Allen is as consistent a veteran as they come. He put forth a 1,000-yard season on his own last year despite being 32 and should be a perfect complement to Moore’s skill set on the outside.
5) Houston Texans | Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins
Much of this list is hinged on the unknown. Like the Bears and Jets, we don’t know how Stefon Diggs will work with Nico Collins in the Texans’ offense.
What we do know is that, when healthy, this group is among the best in the AFC and should help Houston enter championship contention quickly this season. Diggs and Collins are coming off 1,000-yard seasons, and despite his age, the former Buffalo Bill should be a very strong force to what the Texans want to run offensively.
4) San Francisco 49ers | Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel
If we’re doing a list of the most successful receiving duo in the league today, the 49ers would have an obvious claim to that title. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are key cogs in how San Francisco reached Super Bowl LVIII and have been dominant under Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme.
So why isn’t this group higher on the list? The reason is two-pronged.
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First, Aiyuk and Samuel have the fewest combined yards together than any other duo in the regular season. While their playoff numbers are great, that does count when compared to the Bengals or Eagles, who have also reached Super Bowls.
Then there’s the fact that both Samuel and Aiyuk may not be on the roster soon. Both have been listed in trade discussions as they look for new contracts. Because they may not be on the roster together for much longer, that affects their score as well.
3) Cincinnati Bengals | Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Like the top team on this list, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have played in a Super Bowl. They’ve both recorded 1,000-yard seasons together and have consistently dominated on the field without their starting quarterback throwing the football.
So why aren’t Chase and Higgins rated higher on this list?
Well, much like the 49ers, we don’t know how long this duo will be playing together. Both Chase and Higgins are sitting out of voluntary workouts as each searches for a long-term deal.
While Higgins is currently expected to play on the franchise tag, a trade is not out of the realm of possibility — putting this duo’s time together in question.
2) Miami Dolphins | Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
Hill and Waddle have quickly become, if not the best WR duo in the NFL today, then certainly the fastest.
Their combined speed and athleticism have helped transform Miami’s offense into one of the most feared in the game today.
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In 2022, they recorded over 3,000 combined receiving yards and came almost as close in 2023 had it not been for some injuries late in the year that ravaged Waddle and the Dolphins’ offense.
Their issue? They’ve been unable to claim any division titles during their two-year run together, and Miami’s lack of playoff success hurts them when compared to the top duo on this list.
1) Philadelphia Eagles | A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith
There are two simple reasons why the A.J. Brown-DeVonta Smith tandem ranks above the Hill-Waddle one. When the games are brightest, which of the duos has balled out? Also, do the two wide receivers complement each other’s skills?
In both cases, Brown and Smith are a better fit together than Waddle and Hill.
The Dolphins’ tandem is predicated on timing and speed. If a physical opponent presses at a high level, both Waddle and Hill have been known to get beat. There’s a reason why they haven’t been able to win a playoff game since joining forces together.
On the other side, Brown’s size is a great complement to Smith’s route running and speed ability. That combination the Eagles have helped them reach the Super Bowl in 2022 and be among the top offenses in football.
It’s close, but the duo in Philly clears the rest of this list.