Mile High Trade Proposition: Cleveland Browns should grab Jerry Jeudy

It's been reported that Denver wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is on the trade block and the Cleveland Browns have been listed as a team with a particular interest in the 23-year-old. Last season Jeudy’s name was brought up in trade conversations prior to the deadline and the Browns were tied to him then as well.

The knock on Jeudy is that he didn't produce as much as some had hoped after he was drafted at No.15 in the 2020 NFL Draft. Now, the Broncos have a new head coach in Sean Payton who will try to get Denver back on track after a rough 2022 season. So, is it realistic that Payton and his new team would be willing to part ways with a former first-round pick?

The Browns are seeking to find another wide receiver or two either through free agency, or the upcoming draft but a trade for a player like Jeudy or someone like DeAndre Hopkins would be interesting alternatives. Cleveland has its quarterback Deshaun Watson and besides wide receivers Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones, there are still a lot of question marks for the wide receiver room.

Part of the storyline surrounding a potential Jeudy trade would be what draft picks would Denver want back in return. Reports have the Broncos wanting a first-round draft pick. The Browns don’t have that first-round draft pick, but they do have a second-round draft pick, a third and a fourth, and several late-round picks. A package of those picks could entice the Broncos, who are looking to rebuild their team. 

Jeudy has been in the league for three years and had a respectable career so far. Last season he finished with 67 catches for 972 yards and six touchdowns. He's made steady progress and he's still very young, so his upside is high.

He was selected high in the NFL Draft because of his outstanding career at Alabama. He played three seasons there and really turned it up a notch in his last two years. He had 
68 catches for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.

Then in his junior season, he finished with 77 catches for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns. He saved his best for last in his college career as he went for 214 yards on only six catches in his last collegiate game at the Citrus Bowl.

There are many options for the Browns this offseason to strengthen the wide receiver group. That includes trying to get a free-agent wide receiver like Mecole Hardman from the Kansas City Chiefs. They could also try and draft a player like Tyler Scott out of Cincinnati.

However, if they decided to trade for Jeudy it would be well worth it and could be one more additional puzzle piece to try and fill in the Super Bowl picture.