CLEVELAND, Ohio – Things I heard about the Browns and their deal for Jerry Jeudy:
1. When the Browns made the trade for Jerry Jeudy, they looked at the former Denver receiver much like current tight end David Njoku. Both were drafted young, at the age of 21. Both had some struggles with maturity and adjusting to the NFL game.
2. Njoku didn’t have his breakout season until 2023, at the age of 27. He caught 81 passes and made his first Pro Bowl. It was on May 27, 2022, that the Browns gave Njoku a four-year, $54 million deal ($28 million guaranteed). He had yet to show Pro Bowl pass-catching skills. But what convinced the Browns to give the contract was his growth as a blocker. They also sensed he was growing up as a person – and his best was yet to come.
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3. Andrew Berry was a Browns assistant GM in 2017 when Njoku was drafted. Berry believed in Njoku and was patient with the Miami Hurricane product after being named GM in 2020.
4. Jeudy is entering his fifth pro season. He had a rather underwhelming 2023 performance: 54 catches, a 14.0 average and a pair of TD’s. For his four-year career in Denver, Jeudy had 11 TD catches, a 14.5-yard average.
5. Berry has tried to trade for the Alabama product for more than a year. He is convinced Jeudy is on the verge of a Njoku-type improvement. The Browns view Jeudy and the early part of Njoku’s career as “good players in poor usage situations.” With Njoku, the Browns were waiting for him to become a higher priority in the offense – which happened last year.
6. As for Jeudy, they believe a fresh start in the new offense with coordinator Ken Dorsey will help Jeudy. They believe a healthy Deshaun Watson is a better QB for Jeudy than Russell Wilson (2022-23), Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater (2020-21), who were in Denver.
The Browns believe Jerry Jeudy will grow with the Browns much like David Njoku. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
7. When it comes to the offense, so much depends upon Watson’s recovery from shoulder surgery. The Browns like Jeudy’s speed and his ability to “separate” from defensive backs. They believe he cannot only serve as a deep threat as an outside receiver, but also as an inside slot receiver.
8. They like Jeudy in “scramble” situations, where the receiver has to read the QB who has rolled out of the pocket and is looking for an open man. The “backyard football” type plays, and Watson loves those.
9. The trade for Jeudy was like the receiver became the team’s first-round draft pick. The Browns sent picks in the fifth and sixth rounds to Denver for Jeudy. The Browns’ 2024 first-round pick went to Houston in the Watson deal. That ends the picks (six total, three first-rounders) sent to the Texans for Watson.
10. They then gave Jeudy a three-year contract extension at $52 million. They inherited a $13 million salary for 2024. Add it all up and it’s $65 million over four years with $41 million guaranteed. He is expected to be the 25th highest paid receiver in the NFL this season.
11. Amari Cooper remains the No. 1 receiver. He’ll be 30 on July 17. He is one of my favorite all-time Cleveland receivers. He started to have injuries last season. The Browns are adding younger receivers behind him. Jeudy is the latest. He comes after Elijah Moore (acquired in a 2023 trade with the Jets) and draft picks Cedric Tillman and David Bell. The Browns believe Tillman can take a significant step forward in 2024.
12. There are times when a GM likes a player, even one who is a disappointment given his first-round draft status. Then the GM goes after the player as he heads into his physical prime, which is the middle to late 20s in the NFL. Jeudy is 25. This is his fifth pro season.
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