The Cleveland Browns and top receiver Jerry Jeudy are preparing to face his former team, the Denver Broncos. The player, the trade and contract as well as the future at the wide receiver position.
The Browns acquired Jeudy from the Broncos, adding him to a lineup where Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and David Njoku were all coming off arguably the best season of their respective careers. That looked to be a formidable group heading into the season, an upgrade that was expected to help lift the passing game to the next level. That didn’t happen.
Deshaun Watson was abysmal. The season-ending Achilles’ injury spared the Browns from having to bench Watson for his historically bad level of play. Amari Cooper wasn’t great either and while some of the blame can be placed on Watson, Cooper had any number of his own unforced errors.
The Browns traded Cooper for a swap of picks that netted the Browns a third-round pick in this year’s draft. In no small part because of the play of Jeudy and the Browns receivers, that trade looks looks better by the day. Cooper, who is scheduled to be a free agent and wouldn’t be back with the team. While the Browns aren’t better in terms of talent, his absence has created opportunities that his former teammates have capitalized.
Jeudy has been one beneficiary, but the biggest has been second-year wide receiver Cedric Tillman. Elijah Moore has also gotten more looks. Unlike Tillman and Moore, who were virtually ignored when Watson was at quarterback, Jeudy did have two games with at least 70 yards. Week two against the Jacksonville Jaguars and then again week four against the Las Vegas Raiders.
