Updated Browns depth chart after Jerry Jeudy trade
By Randy Gurzi
News broke on Saturday that the Cleveland Browns landed Jerry Jeudy in a trade with the Denver Broncos. A former first-round pick, Jeudy has 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns on 211 receptions in four seasons but he never lived up to his draft status.
Due to that, Denver had been rumored to be shopping him for some time and their desire to close a deal might have been sped along after releasing Russell Wilson, which led to more than $80 million in dead money. That means there's nothing left to extend anyone, so they decided it was best to move on from players such as Jeudy.
For the Browns, it means their draft plans could be altered. They no longer need to focus on wide receiver at pick No. 54. This had been a major need for them but now, it's safe to say they're set with their top four players — at least. With that being said, let's check out the depth chart as a whole to see how the roster is looking ahead of the new season.
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
No shockers here. The Browns will start Deshaun Watson as long as he's healthy. They would like to bring Joe Flacco back as the QB2 but for now, DTR occupies that spot.
Running Back
Nick Chubb
Jerome Ford
Pierre Strong
The only change to watch here would be a rookie or free-agent addition leapfrogging Jerome Ford. Nick Chubb might not be at 100 percent by Week 1 and Ford didn't do enough to keep the starting job in his absence.
Wide Receiver
Starters:
Amari Cooper
Elijah Moore
Jerry Jeudy (Slot)
Reserves:
Cedric Tillman
David Bell
Michael Woods
When all is said and done, Jerry Jeudy might be second in targets — at least when it comes to wideouts. David Njoku will still be either No. 1 or No. 2 behind Amari Cooper. Even with this being the case, Jeudy might not be the technical starter on the outside.
Elijah Moore is better on the boundary than he is in the slot and Jeudy is vice versa. With Deshaun Watson healthy (that's an assumption there), there will be more three wide receiver sets, so there will be no shortage of options for those three.
Behind them, Cedric Tillman returns after a disappointing rookie campaign. He edges out David Bell and Michael Woods rounds out the group — although he might be on his last chance with the team.