Is Jerry Jeudy Enough?
Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
In an NFL where the only constant seems to be change, the Cleveland Browns have shown an incredible amount of continuity throughout the offseason. Other teams have seen players hop from one team to another, or have released their aging or expensive staples of their team, but you have to squint hard to find the changes on Cleveland’s roster.
This is especially true on offense. Should currently-injured Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, and Jerick Wills, Jr. return in Week 1, the Browns are threatening to return 10 of their 11 starters from Week 1 in 2023. The only difference? Out went Donovan Peoples-Jones, in came Jerry Jeudy.
Now, Cleveland’s Opening Day offense lasted for only one full game, as Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury occurred in Week 2. Deshaun Watson only made it to Week 3 before getting injured, and played in just six games, including being out for the season in Week 11. We sort of don’t even really know how good last year’s offense was.
Still, the Browns’ offensive production was better than you might think. The team finished 1oth in the NFL last season with 23.3 points per game, more than playoff teams in the Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and even the Kansas City Chiefs, somehow. Even taking their three defensive touchdowns off the board, the offense still mustered 22.2 points per game, about the equivalent of Houston or the 9-8, Trevor Lawrence-led Jacksonville Jaguars.
Getting Chubb back in any timely order would be a huge boost, as would a full, productive season from Watson. But even with most of their team on the field last season, the Browns only mustered 24 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, then 22 points in a Week 2 loss at Pittsburgh.
Other than health, the only difference is Jeudy, the wide receiver Andrew Berry swapped two picks for, then immediately signed to a hefty extension. The idea is that he can slot in between Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore to deliver the team a 1-2-3 punch at receiver that they sorely lacked these last few seasons. But is he enough of an upgrade at the skill positions by himself to raise the offense’s upside?
Jeudy may not have realized his No. 1 receiver potential in Denver, but it’s debatable whether or not that’s on him. The Broncos have been an abject disaster since they drafted Jeudy, with as many losing seasons as head coaches (4) since 2020. Despite the disappointment, however, Jeudy does give Cleveland something they didn’t have last season: a bonafide No. 2 option. And that’s if he takes zero steps in the change of scenery.
Since Jeudy entered the NFL, there are 132 receivers that have had 100-plus targets. Over that time, Jeudy ranks 42nd in yards per game (52.3), 21st in yards per catch (14.5), and 43rd in yards per target (8.6). If there are theoretically 32 No. 1 receivers in the NFL, Jeudy is a high-end No. 2 option.
Even better, now that Cooper is back in the fold for another year, Jeudy doesn’t have that pressure to be the guy, which he may have had in Denver. In fact, Jeudy’s skill set might be better suited to being the Robin to Cooper’s Batman.
With Cooper coming off a 1,250-yard season, he’ll almost certainly draw the most attention from defenders. That attention should help Jeudy to get open — something he already excelled in with Denver. According to Pro Football Focus, Jeudy was open on 85.7% of his 84 targets last season, ranking eighth in the NFL.
That tendency to get open gives Jeudy an advantage once he makes the catch. He’s averaged 5.6 yards after the catch for every reception, ranking 15th in the NFL, beating out All-Pro talents such as Amon-Ra St. Brown (5.1), CeeDee Lamb (4.9), and Justin Jefferson (4.6).
While Russell Wilson didn’t do much for Denver’s chances in winning, he certainly helped Jeudy make a jump, even if it didn’t come with a 1,000-yard season. Between 2022 and 2023, Jeudy was a reliable target for Wilson, with Jeudy’s quarterbacks earning a 97.7 rating on their 187 attempts thrown Jeudy’s way.
That was 44th among 129 wide receivers who had 50-plus targets during those two seasons. It’s very comparable to wideouts like Mike Evans (99.0), D.J. Moore (98.8), and Cooper Kupp (97.3). Most impressively, however, was that Jeudy saw a jump to earning 9.3 yards per target. That figure tied him for 17th in the NFL, coincidentally, with Cooper. Jeudy’s yards per target also surpassed the likes of Lamb (9.2), Evans (9.0), and Tee Higgins (9.1).
Again, even if Jeudy doesn’t take any step forward at all, he’s still a massive boost over Peoples-Jones, who offered a deep threat at times, but was on the whole too inconsistent for the Browns. Jeudy gives Cleveland that clear-cut No. 2 option, and Berry is betting that his underlying numbers point to something greater than the young wideout could achieve in Denver.
So, sure, Jeudy may have been all the Browns have done to improve the offense, at least, among the starters. But with a healthy Watson and Chubb, there wasn’t much that needed fixing. The biggest hole was exactly what Jeudy provides, and his presence should be enough to be a rising tide that lifts all of the boats on the shore of Lake Erie.
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