The Cleveland Browns have made a significant addition to their receiving corps, acquiring wide receiver Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos. The Browns traded two late-round draft picks—a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder—to the Broncos in exchange for Jeudy.
Jeudy, selected as the No. 15 overall pick and the second wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft, had high expectations upon entering the league. However, his time in Denver was marked by various injuries and trade rumors during the latter part of his tenure.
In Cleveland, Jeudy is expected to assume the role of the No. 2 receiver behind Amari Cooper. The Browns took a similar approach last year by trading for Elijah Moore, a young receiver who didn’t quite establish a strong connection with Deshaun Watson.
Jeudy now has the opportunity to revitalize his performance alongside Watson, Cooper, Moore, and David Njoku in the offensive system orchestrated by new coordinator Ken Dorsey.
The Browns’ acquisition of Jerry Jeudy is a prudent, low-cost move. The team didn’t part with significant draft capital to secure Jeudy, a player with undeniable talent yet some consistency concerns. The decision to explore untapped potential in Jeudy, not fully realized during his tenure with the Broncos, holds merit.
The only factor preventing this move from earning an “A” grade is Jeudy’s fully guaranteed $13 million salary, which may be considered an overpayment based on his performance thus far. Given the Browns’ salary cap constraints, this financial aspect adds a level of uncertainty.
From the Broncos’ perspective, dangling Jeudy in trade talks for multiple years and receiving only a pair of late Day 3 picks is less than ideal. The deal avoids an “F” grade because Denver aims to free up significant cap space, and considering Jeudy’s production in the first four years of his career, trading him becomes a reasonable strategy to achieve this goal.
