Just a couple of weeks ago, it looked like Jerry Jeudy’s time with the Cleveland Browns was coming to an end. The wide receiver went two games with just one target and no receptions, and he didn’t look too happy about it.
With rookies Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion taking over as focal points in the passing game, it was thought that the Browns would be better served seeing what they could get for Jeudy on the market. But Cleveland has remained a true playoff contender, and the veteran has played a big role in making that happen.
Insider Jonathan Jones of The Athletic revealed that’s why Jeudy likely won’t be traded, as the Browns can’t afford to wait for Isaiah Bond to emerge while chasing a postseason berth.
“If the AFC North-leading Browns had been getting more out of Isaiah Bond, maybe Jeudy would be on the move regardless of Cleveland’s standing. But now the playoffs are a real possibility,” Jones wrote.
Ironically, Jones names Cleveland’s Week 8 opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as a team looking for help at wide receiver. In the teams’ first meeting, a 27-24 Browns win, Jeudy had two key fourth-quarter receptions that helped set up Andre Szmyt’s game-winning 56-yard field goal.
Then, Jeudy had a long catch-and-run that set up another winning kick by Szmyt in a 13-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. He has 16 receptions for 171 yards this season, after posting just two catches for 26 yards in the first three weeks.
Jones also mentions the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs as contending teams looking for receiver help. So, if Cleveland were looking to move Jeudy, they might mind a robust market for his services.
Yet, with Bond failing to make good on predictions of a breakout second season, Jeudy may be even more valuable to the Browns. Bond has zero targets in four games and just one in two others, with three of his five receptions this season coming in a Week 5 loss to the New York Jets, after Concepcion left with a concussion in the first quarter.
Off to one of the best starts in franchise history, the Browns might be wise not to mess with a good thing and keep Jeudy around for their playoff push.
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