After months of rumors and conjecture dating back to the middle of the 2022 season, the Denver Broncos eventually sold wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 offseason in return for two Day 3 draft picks. In return for Jeudy, the Broncos acquired fifth and sixth-round picks, which they used to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select wide receiver Troy Franklin in the fourth round.
The Broncos recently welcomed Jeudy back to the Mile High City as the Cleveland Browns visited for a Monday Night Football game. And the Broncos were a tad overly welcoming. Jeudy had a career night, totaling 235 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point convert on nine grabs. It is the most receiving yards a player has ever gotten against their old team in the NFL.
Fortunately, the Denver Broncos won the game and advanced to 8-5 on the season, but the past month has made one thing quite clear: the Broncos lost the Jerry Jeudy deal with Cleveland.
Broncos may have thrived with Jerry Jeudy in the 2024 offense.
With his recent surge in output over the last five weeks, Jeudy is now the fifth-leading receiver in the NFL and fourth among wide receivers.
Jeudy’s 880 receiving yards are only 17 away from being in the top three in the NFL so far this season. Since Jameis Winston has taken over as the Browns’ quarterback, Jeudy has thrived.
And we obviously saw that fully on display in his return to Denver.
With the way Bo Nix and the Broncos’ passing game has evolved and improved over the course of the 2024 season, it’s hard not to wonder what this offense could be like if Jeudy was still part of it. Of course, Jeudy wanted to be traded and he got a new contract from the Browns. The Broncos held onto Jeudy at last year’s deadline, which indicated they perhaps had an interest in keeping him, but Jeudy said in the lead-up to his revenge game that he wanted to be traded because the Broncos weren’t winning and he wasn’t getting as involved as he felt he should be.
Jeudy is only 25 years old and plays in a position where the Broncos have plainly needed help all season. The extension he received from the Browns was not unreasonable, and the only reason the Broncos likely agreed to move him was because he no longer wanted to be there.
In the end, it felt like Jeudy and the Broncos won the fight but lost the war. From Denver’s perspective, they beat the Browns on Monday Night Football (which is critical), but they have a receiver gap that Jeudy could have easily filled now and in the future for their young quarterback.
Jeudy accomplished his desire of leaving Denver and moving to a better scenario to put up big numbers, but he is back on a losing team as the Broncos are on the verge of making the playoffs in 2024. I suppose in the NFL, you live and learn constantly.
