Tag: Jerry Jeudy

Not dead yet: Deshaun Watson finds Jerry Jeudy for 6

Still fighting…

The Cleveland Browns, while they have been dead for most of the game, have found the endzone for the first time in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, for as putrid as he has been, has connected with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for a touchdown from six yards out.

In his Cleveland debut, Jeudy has amassed three catches for 25 yards on five targets. He gets his first touchdown in the brown and orange, however, as the passing attack turned a bit of a corner on their second drive of the third quarter.

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They now trail the Cowboys by a score of 27-10 with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter in their season opener at home. The defense just forced a three-and-out from the Cowboys and the offense will come back onto the field.

Just as they did a year ago, the Browns continue to fight despite a disastrous start.

All Pro receiver Raiders should have drafted gets record new deal

All Pro receiver Raiders should have drafted gets record new deal

Today the Cowboys backed up the Brinks truck for CeeDee Lamb. The All Pro receiver just got a record signing bonus while becoming the second highest paid non-QB in NFL history

Lamb is coming off an All Pro season and his third Pro Bowl season. He caught 135 passes for 1749 yards last season and has improved his receiving numbers each of his seasons in the NFL.

When Lamb came out of Oklahoma in 2020, he was easily the best receiver in that draft. The team with the highest draft position and a need at wide receiver was the Raiders. For that reason, I had him as the pick by the Raiders in my mock draft that year. But Jon Gruden was smarter. He took Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III at 12 overall. Yeah, Mike Mayock was the GM, but we all know Gruden was calling the shots on those top picks.

Now, we know the cautionary tale that Ruggs’s life became. He’s in prison for killing a woman and her dog while driving drunk. But this isn’t about Ruggs. This is about Lamb. And how much of a no-brainer pick he was at the time and has proven to be ever since.

To be fair, the Broncos also overthought this. They chose Ruggs’s Alabama teammate Jerry Jeudy three picks later at 15 overall. Leaving Lamb to fall right into the laps of the Cowboys at 17 overall. A gift from the overthinking brainiacs ahead of them in the draft.

Jerry Jeudy is the answer to beating man coverage

Jeudy raises the bar in the wide receiver room

The Cleveland Browns found their wide receiver room was lacking, so they went out and gave up two Day 3 picks for Jerry Jeudy.

And the former first round pick entering his fifth season in the NFL brings something that only Amari Cooper has proven to do in Cleveland in recent history: beat man coverage. Now with two players who are a threat to get open and make a play, opposing defenses cannot cheat over onto one particular threat.

Just how good is Jeudy against man coverage, however? One of the best in the NFL. Cody Suek of Browns Film Breakdown lays out the data the best.

According to Suek, using Expected Points Added data, Jeudy has finished in the top-10 over the past two seasons of every wide receiver in EPA per target against Cover-1. In fact, he was fourth in 2022 before falling to ninth in 2023.

The Browns are hoping that data continues to trend in Jeudy’s favor, and that the talented wide receiver can stay on the field for 17 games as he comes over from Denver.

Browns overtake Eagles for NFL lead in players earning over $10M per year

Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns are tied with 13 players earning over $10M per year

Championship teams are built through the draft and shrewd free-agent acquisitions, and in this new day of the NFL, huge salaries are a prerequisite for overall franchise success.

Before Wednesday morning, Philadelphia and Cleveland led the NFL with 12 players earning $10+ million per season.  The Browns now have the top spot after the team agreed to a three-year extension with linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, worth up to $39 million, including a $25 million guarantee.

Browns

– Deshaun Watson: $46M
– Myles Garrett: $25M
– Denzel Ward: $20.1M
– Amari Cooper: $20M
– Jerry Jeudy: $17.5M
– Joel Bitonio: $16M
– Jack Conklin: $15M
– Dalvin Tomlinson: $14.25M
– Wyatt Teller: $14.2M
– David Njoku: $13.687M
– Grant Delpit: $12M
– Za’Darius Smith: $11.5M
– Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: $13M (max)

Eagles

– Jalen Hurts: $52M
– Saquon Barkley: $12M.5
– A.J. Brown: $32M
– DeVonta Smith: $25M
– Dallas Goedert: $14.5M
– Jordan Mailata: $22M
– Landon Dickerson: $21M
– Lane Johnson: $20M
– Bryce Huff: $17M
– Josh Sweat: $10M
– Darius Slay: $13M
– James Bradberry: $12.5

The Browns have the NFL’s second-highest payroll at $244,730,743, behind the Atlanta Falcons, who are shelling out a league-high $249,538,227 in cap space.

Philadelphia is 30th in the league, paying out $182,873,638 in total cap space this season.

Browns training camp: WR Jerry Jeudy practices for the first time

Jeudy got back on the field Thursday

The Cleveland Browns got their new talented wide receiver on the field for the first time during training camp on Thursday as Jerry Jeudy hit the field.

Jeudy had been working off to the side for all of camp with an injury but got back on the field. It’s always a good thing to get your best players back on the field so having Jeudy back is big for Cleveland.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson healthy and participating in every practice, getting his new target back on the field to work on their chemistry together is a must. On top of a new quarterback, Jeudy is in a new system, one that is different for everyone, so they need as many reps as possible.

Jeudy should help the offense significantly this year with his ability to create yardage after the catch, something the Browns struggled to do at times the last few seasons.

Cleveland had their first full padded practice with contact on Thursday as training camp continues.

Amari Cooper’s contract structure shows Browns’ belief in young WRs

The team believes in the young talent they have at WR

As expected, the Cleveland Browns were able to reach an agreement with Amari Cooper to end his holdout as veterans reported for training camp on Tuesday. The interesting aspect of the deal is that it didn’t include any additional years, just a pay raise and guaranteed money for the 2024 season.

Of course, this doesn’t mean they won’t later re-sign him to an extension either during the season or the next off-season. However, I believe the team feels comfortable not locking Cooper down for the future primarily because of the young pass catchers they currently have on their roster.

Andrew Berry has had his eye on Jerry Jeudy for years, and after finally acquiring him, he made sure to get an extension on the books quickly. This shows Berry believes that Jeudy will be a great player for the Browns. The best part is that Cooper is around for 2024, giving Jeudy a chance to prove Berry right or wrong.

In addition to Jeudy, you have three draft picks, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, and David Bell, who are on the roster. Tillman seems poised to make a leap in year two after a rough start to his career. Bell is a solid possession guy, and Thrash has an intriguing athletic profile.

It is clear to me that the Browns know they need Cooper for 2024, but they believe in their scouting and development that the young guys can be long-term answers. But if things don’t work out this year and the young guys don’t take a leap, the team could always go back to the negotiation table with Cooper.

2024 Schedule Swings: Receivers

Which receiver gets a far easier schedule for 2024? Who experiences the worst drop in schedule strength?

The schedule strength for receivers is typically the least accurate compared to running backs and quarterbacks because two to four wideouts and a tight end are regularly used per team, and each varies in how they mix them.

That means comparing the schedule strength between 2023 and 2024 is also harder to apply to individual players. Only the extremes are likely to matter.

The average fantasy points allowed by defenses to receivers last year were applied to each offense’s schedule to determine their true schedule strength of last year and the same values are applied to their 2024 schedule. This includes considering both home and away venues separately for each defense.

The resulting fantasy point advantages are compared between years and the difference is their “swing points.”  The higher the Swing Points, the better their schedule is compared to last year. 

This analysis is very close to that for the quarterbacks, but a few differences stem from relying on running backs as receivers on some teams, as that skews the pass distribution.

See Also: Quarterbacks | Running Backs 

Best schedule swings

Drake London, Kyle Pitts (ATL) – This is all good news for a franchise that was among the worst in passing for the last couple of seasons. Refreshing with Kirk Cousins, a new pass-intensive scheme and now the most improved schedule from 2023 and it all is looking up for the Falcons.

Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen (CAR) – Bryce Young was the first player drafted in 2023, but he had little help in any direction for a franchise that owned a minimal amount of passing weapons, a one-year offensive scheme that flopped and a bad schedule. A new set of coaches, upgrades with Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, and a vastly upgraded schedule should all make a positive difference and get the Panthers’ passing offense on track.

DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze (CHI) – The Bears already have an embarrassment of riches with receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. They drafted the top quarterback in the 2024 class and get a nice improvement in schedule. The only downside here is trying to feed all those options.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta (DET) – The Lions already had one of the best passing offenses and now enjoy a solid rise in outlook with the No. 3 best schedule for receivers. With the offense already dedicated to piling up the receptions for St. Brown and LaPorta, the schedule only serves to make them even more reliable.

Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku (CLE) – The Browns offense needed a break and 2024 should allow the receivers to meet their potential with Deshaun Watson healthy and well-versed in the offense and the schedule finally well above average.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride (ARI) – The rookie Harrison and McBride already look like locks for a high volume of targets and they get a healthy Kyler Murray back. Throw in one of the top schedules after only average in 2023, and the needle is pointing up for the Arizona receivers this year.

About the same schedule strength

The bad news is that the Jaguars, Bengals, Dolphins, and Broncos all repeat their ultra-tough schedule strengths from 2023. Can they remain better than their schedule?

Worst schedule swings

Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG) – The Giants were already challenged with yet another shaky year of Daniel Jones and now the schedule is working against them. It is enough to drop Nabers another tick and hope he can survive a tough rookie campaign.

Quentin Johnson, Joshua Palmer (LAC) – The Chargers already swapped out coaches and dedicate their offense to running the ball more. And they stripped out all veteran talent from the wideouts. And they rely on what appears to be one of the weakest receiver units in the NFL. And now their receivers get to go against the worst schedule. Justin Herbert is an elite quarterback, but everything with the 2023 Chargers screams that a down year is about to happen.

Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce (KC) – This is less worrisome with an upgraded set of receivers and Patrick Mahomes playing in the same pass-happy scheme. If any team can weather a bad schedule swing, it is the Chiefs.

Mike Evans, Chris Godwin (TB) – The Buccaneers take a dive down from their previous No. 5 schedule strength for receivers but their scheme has a huge portion of the targets funnel through Evans and Godwin. They may not equal last year, but shouldn’t fall far thanks to volume alone.

Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp (LAR) – Nacua blew up with a historic rookie season and Kupp is always dangerous weapon when healthy.  This slide doesn’t help but the duo is one of the best in the league. They should still deliver even with the increased competition.

Will a change of scenery help Jerry Jeudy’s fantasy prospects?

Does this former Bronco have a shot at living up to his potential in Cleveland?

Few fantasy players are more polarizing than Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. The 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft, expectations were high that Jeudy’s college success at Alabama would translate to the Broncos offense. Unfortunately for him (and those who drafted him) it hasn’t worked out that way.

In four seasons with the Broncos he never had a 1,000-yard season and finished three seasons with fewer than 55 receptions and three or fewer touchdowns. Those numbers are what you would expect from a No. 3 receiver in an NFL offense, not a WR1. The closest he ever came to putting up numbers worthy of being in weekly lineup consideration was in 2022 when he caught 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns.

Denver’s disenchantment with Jeudy’s lack of high-end production ended this spring when the Broncos traded him to the Browns for a pair of late-round draft picks. Reviews on the trade are mixed. While he hasn’t proved he can be a star receiver in the NFL, Cleveland gave him a three-year, $58 million extension following the trade.

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Jeudy comes to an offense loaded with skill position talent with running backs Nick Chubb (knee) and Jerome Ford, wide receivers Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore and tight end David Njoku. That represents a lot of competition for passes and the biggest issue surrounds the wheelman of the offense, quarterback Deshaun Watson.

One of the most electrifying quarterbacks in the league when he was in Houston, Watson missed all of the 2021 season with legal issues and hasn’t lived up to his massive contract with the Browns (five years, $230 million fully guaranteed). In two seasons in Cleveland, Watson has played in just 12 games, averaging 185 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. When evaluating any receiver, his quarterback has to factor into the equation, and there are many more questions than answers with Watson heading into Year 3 of his Cleveland deal.

Fantasy football outlook

Too many red flags pop up in the marriage between Jeudy and the Browns. Jeudy has been a career disappointment, and he’s coming into an offense that boasts considerable competition for targets. The biggest concern is building a rapport with Watson, which won’t come as easily as it might seem.

In November, Watson had surgery to repair a fractured right shoulder socket, which can be a career-ending injury for a quarterback. The Browns coaching and medical staffs are going to take their time bringing Watson back, which hurts Jeudy more than the other receivers that Watson has already worked with and developed timing. Getting meaningful reps between a quarterback and receivers is critical to success, and Jeudy isn’t going to get enough of that until the regular season begins, which should drop his value markedly.

At best, Jeudy is a WR5 in a 12-manager league because of the questions surrounding his arrival to Cleveland. Anywhere before No. 5 is taking too big a gamble. However, at WR5 the risk is minimized and if he washes out there wasn’t a significant investment made. Judy has been a disappointment thus far in his career, but he still has the talent to turn things around. By the time WR5 types are coming off the board, the potential reward will finally meet up with the risk.

Will 2024 mark the start of a Deshaun Watson redemption arc?

What are the odds of a Watson rebound in 2024?

In March of 2022, the Cleveland Browns sent first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as a third-rounder in 2023, plus fourth-rounders in ’22 and 2024, to the Houston Texans in exchange for quarterback Deshaun Watson and a ’24 sixth-round pick. After two seasons, this checks in as one of the worst trades in NFL history from Cleveland’s perspective. Will things finally get better in 2024? Let’s take an early peek.

During his two years in a Browns uniform, Watson has appeared in 12 games. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022, and he missed 11 games last year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery to correct. He has been a limited participant in offseason workouts, but the expectation is he will be ready to go in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Cleveland has made some notable changes since the last time Watson took the field. Perhaps the biggest one is the hiring of new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who worked with Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen during his tenure as the OC. Dorsey was named the quarterbacks coach when Allen was in his second season, and he helped shepherd his ascent to stardom before eventually taking over as the play caller in 2022.

On the field, the Browns acquired wide receiver Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos, ironically parting ways with the sixth-round selection they picked up from Houston in the Watson deal (along with a fifth-round choice). That gives Cleveland a top three of Jeudy (54-758-2 last year), Amari Cooper (72-1,250-5), and Elijah Moore (59-640-2) at receiver to go along with tight end David Njoku (81-882-6), who finally took a major step statistically last year.

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Health and contract issues could play a part in how effective Cleveland is offensively in 2024. In addition to Watson, who still isn’t throwing every day as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, running back Nick Chubb (knee) faces an uncertain future after suffering a gruesome knee injury last year. On the money side, Cooper didn’t take part in the offseason program as he enters the final year of his contract.

All those changes should lead to a more aggressive, pass-oriented offense under Dorsey, which could breathe some life into Watson, who last posted a meaningful statistical season back in 2020 — he threw for 4,823 yards, 33 TDs, and seven INTs while rushing for 444 yards and three TDs.

Fantasy football outlook

The numbers that Watson put up in 2020 bordered on elite, and it shows what he is capable of … or at least what he was capable of. Three full seasons have passed since then, during which he’s played in a dozen games with 2,217 yards passing, 14 TDs, and nine INTs.

At this stage, the veteran needs to be viewed as a borderline top-20 quarterback on draft day, though his dual-threat potential makes him one of the more intriguing backup options.

Broncos will get Marvin Mims more involved on offense in 2024

“I think we’ll see a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of wide receiver Marvin Mims.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims made a big impact on special teams as a rookie last season, earning a Pro Bowl nod as a returner after totaling 709 return yards and a touchdown.

Mims also made plays when given opportunities on offense, averaging 17.1 yards per reception, but he rarely got opportunities on offense. Mims played 384 snaps last fall, a big drop from Jerry Jeudy (662) and an even bigger drop from Courtland Sutton (782).

The most notable snap number was Jeudy’s. Mims plays essentially the same position as Jeudy, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns this spring. Following Jeudy’s departure, there should be more snaps available for Mims this fall.

“I’ve said this, and I’ll say it again — we were as much responsible for, I don’t want to say holding him back, but you’re trying to get snaps with Jerry Jeudy, with Courtland,” coach Sean Payton said on May 30. “I think we’ll see a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2. He’s tough. He had a really good play today.

“We know he’s a good returner. We felt that was one of the strengths obviously that we saw on tape. But we saw transitional speed, we saw the things that you need to have at that receiver position. So I don’t think it was his development as much as, and I don’t want to say a crowded room, but just trying to create enough touches for those guys.”

It’s a bittersweet scenario for Mims. He knows the Jeudy trade will open more opportunities for him, but he lost a good teammate in the trade.

“It’s tough,” Mims said. “Coming in as a rookie last year, Jerry looked out for me and taught me a lot. It was great to be in a room with him. With him going to Cleveland, hopefully that’s the best opportunity for him to showcase what he can do. He’s one heck of a player. I just wish him all the best. Whatever happens here, happens here.”

Mims turned 33 targets into 22 receptions for 377 yards and one touchdown last fall. With a chance to emerge as the team’s No. 2 receiver in 2024, Mims should easily see his numbers make a big jump in Year 2.

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