The Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns made a blockbuster Jerry Jeudy trade, and now it’s time to grade this move for both teams.
This deal has the soon-to-be 25-year-old wideout heading to Cleveland for a fifth and a sixth-round pick. That’s a huge discount for the Browns after the Broncos picked Jeudy 15th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
So, let’s take a look at how both teams fared in this Jerry Jeudy trade.
Cleveland Browns acquire Jerry Jeudy for 2 late-round picks
The Browns need to come up with some creative solutions to solve their roster problems in 2024. After trading the house for Deshaun Watson two offseasons ago, the draft capital cupboard is a little bare in Cleveland.
And after giving Watson $230 million fully guaranteed, the salary cap doesn’t have a ton of room either to sign free agents.
That is why the Browns need to hit the bargain bin and hope they find gold, and that’s exactly what they did with the Jerry Jeudy trade.
Cleveland needs a WR2 behind Amari Cooper, and they aren’t guaranteed to get one in the draft, as the Houston Texans own their first-round pick. Getting one in free agency is also not a sure thing. While there are a lot of WR2s on the free agent market this offseason, that is all there is, so they will go for a pretty penny.
Making a trade was the Browns’ best option here, but again, without a first-round pick, making an AJ Brown-type deal wasn’t going to happen.
In the end, Jeudy isn’t the player the Broncos thought he’d be when they took him at the top of the draft, but he doesn’t have to be for Cleveland. He still has the talent to be a legit No. 2, and maybe a change of scenery will do him good.
What is certain here is that the Browns aren’t finding a 6-foot-1, 193-pound wideout who put up 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Alabama. Those types of players don’t grow on trees, and they definitely don’t last until Round 5 or 6.
Without knowing how Jeudy will pan out, it’s hard to give an A+. However, this is a low-risk, high-reward move that absolutely deserves high marks.
GRADE: A
Denver Broncos get something back for their problematic pick
The 2020 NFL Draft was weird. There is no way around it. It was especially weird when it came to first-round wide receivers.
In that draft, Henry Ruggs was first off the board to the Las Vegas Raiders at 12, then Jeudy at 15, CeeDee Lamb at 17 to the Dallas Cowboys, Jalen Reagor at 21 to the Philadelphia Eagles, Justin Jefferson at 22 to the Minnesota Vikings, and Brandon Aiyuk at 25 to the San Francisco 49ers to round things out.
If this draft was held in 2024 knowing what we know now, it would easily go almost in reverse with Jefferson, Lamb, Aiyuk, Jeudy, Reagor, and Ruggs being the unquestioned order.
Jeudy has been OK in Denver. He’s played 57 of a possible 66 games. Over those four seasons, he has 211 catches for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s never had a 1,000-yard season, but he’s also only gone for less than 750 once.
He is just not a WR1, and with his rookie contract running out, the Broncos would risk losing him for nothing if they didn’t trade him this offseason.
Is getting two Day 3 picks for a top-15 pick just four years ago a great look? No. Is it better than letting him walk in free agency or having to cut him flat out? Yes.
Overall, the Jerry Jeudy trade is embarrassing more than anything for the Broncos, but it doesn’t get a failing grade. Because they did get something for the player, the grade is only slightly below average.
GRADE: C-
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