Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has learned to juggle this offseason at the request of Robert Prince, the NFL team’s new wide-receivers coach.

“RP brought a whole thing in here that we do,” Waddle said on Tuesday. “He was challenging us to learn how to juggle. I learned how to juggle in two or three days. I’m just saying. If anybody can beat that, I don’t know. I was TikTokking and some other stuff about this juggling. RP challenged us to learn. That was actually pretty fun. I’m trying to learn new techniques actually.”

The former Alabama All-American said his new skill was meant to improve hand-eye coordination.

“It’s really tough,” Waddle said. “I didn’t know anything about juggling, but I learned in two days if I didn’t tell y’all that. If I didn’t tell y’all that, I learned in two days. Two days.”

Miami coach Mike McDaniel said juggling was only one way that Waddle had attacked the offseason after the least productive season of his NFL career.

“I see a guy that’s ready to earn growth to a game that’s already top tier within the National Football League,” McDaniel said on Tuesday. “It’s exciting for me and exciting for when I go out on the field, because he’s humbly approaching his craft, attacking it, so that he’s not satisfied with any part of his game.

“I think one thing that has been really cool to watch is his understanding of who he is on the team, how much we depend on his playmaking ability, but also how much we depend on how he is as a football player in extremely non-selfish ways. He’s very active in the run game. He’s very active in just really doing whatever he can to benefit the other pass eligibles.

“Realistically, I’m really excited about what 2025 has in store for him, based upon the excitement that he gives me every day attacking his craft. So today should be a good day, and he’ll go back to the drawing board and chop wood the next. That’s kind of been his formula this offseason, and I think it’s benefiting him.”

After the Dolphins drafted Waddle at No. 6 in 2021, he produced three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. But in 2024, Waddle dropped to 58 receptions for 744 yards and two touchdowns – all career lows – as Miami went 8-9, its worst record since the wide receiver came aboard.

“Definitely not the year we wanted as a team,” Waddle said. “Definitely the year that I didn’t want as an individual. But lucky for me, we get to go back — same quarterback, same head coach, (offensive coordinator) — and run it back. I think the foundation that we are setting here in OTAs is going to really help us in training camp and lead us to the season.”

A big part of Miami’s problems in 2024 seemed to stem from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s health. Waddle’s former Alabama teammate missed six games because of a concussion and a hip injury, and when he wasn’t on the field, the Dolphins struggled to move the football.

In the 10 games in which Tagovailoa went all the way at quarterback, Miami averaged scoring 25.5 points. In the other seven games, the Dolphins averaged 13 points.

“He’s just excited to play, man,” Waddle said. “I think all of us are. He looks confident, coming out with a different swag. He’s got dye in his hair and some other stuff. He looks like he’s just eager to play, man.”

Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since Dec. 30, 2000. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers, whose Amerant Bank Arena is about 20 miles from the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, started their third consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Last season, the Panthers defeated the Oilers in the NHL championship series.

“They definitely bring an urge to the city,” Waddle said about the Panthers. “They bring excitement to the city. Every professional sport in the city, it’s just like they’re pretty much the standard with all that they’ve accomplished over the past years. It’s definitely lit a fire under us to try to match them.”

Waddle said he’d become a hockey fan since he came to Miami.

“I’m going to go to the Finals,” Waddle said. “I think I’m their good-luck charm because I don’t think they’ve loss since I’ve been. I think they need to invite me sometime soon in an important game because I think they’re pretty undefeated when I’m there. Panthers, hey, I’ll be waiting.”

The Dolphins have three practices remaining in their offseason program – mandatory minicamp on Tuesday through Thursday.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.