In the immediate aftermath of another wild win for his Cleveland Browns, head coach Todd Monken had a game ball for an unlikely hero.
Trade rumors continue to swirl around veteran wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, but for a now 4-2 football team, his value is making all of that chatter look pretty silly.
In dire need of a spark after halftime, the Browns turned to Jeudy. He delivered with multiple explosive plays, none bigger than his 33-yard reception on third-and-5 in the final minute that helped seal another monster divisional win for Cleveland.
Jeudy caught all four of his targets for a team-leading 69 yards in the Browns’ 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The bulk of that production came on Cleveland’s final two drives as it finished a comeback from 10 points down in the third quarter.
After the game, Monken certainly didn’t sound like a coach who expects his team’s longest-tenured wide receiver to be moved ahead of next month’s trade deadline.
“We’re better on offense when Jerry’s a part of it, and I can certainly do a better job of incorporating him in it,” Monken said. “You can see a difference in his juice in practice and on the field. And that credit goes to him, and his decision to, ‘Alright this is where it’s at, I’m going all-in.’”
Jerry Jeudy keeps showing why the Browns have little reason to trade him
Jeudy has gotten off to a slow start to the season statistically, but his two best games are now impossible to ignore. He made a flurry of key catches down the stretch to help the Browns hold off the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-24, back on Oct. 1.
Cleveland is now 2-0 against AFC North opponents. That might not be the case without Jeudy, who’s been a favorite target of quarterback Deshaun Watson in gotta-have-it situations.
After the game, Monken lauded Jeudy’s mindset, which is often misunderstood by those on the outside.
The veteran entered training camp as Cleveland’s No. 1 wideout, with general manager Andrew Berry going so far as to call him the team’s bell-cow. Monken admitted after the Steelers win that Jeudy had been demoted, and is now working behind rookies Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.
The perception on Jeudy is that he’s checked out or doesn’t care. Monken was quick to squash that narrative after Sunday’s win over the Ravens.
“As a man, he said, ‘I’m gonna battle, and I’m gonna fight, and I want to be a part of this team and I want to help make plays,’” Monken said. “And it builds confidence for us to continue to play him, and he made a bunch of plays. He’s working every day at catching the ball. You can see a difference in that. And like I said, we’re better on offense when we’re able to utilize Jerry in terms of what he can bring with his explosiveness.”
Jeudy is proving far more valuable to the Browns than a Day 3 draft pick
Cleveland’s overall roster depth entering the season was often criticized prior to the start of the season, but unheralded players continue to step up. The Browns played Sunday’s game without defensive tackle Mason Graham and running back Quinshon Judkins. The week prior, they lost Concepcion to a scary concussion.
The Browns may seem like the type of team that would sell at the deadline. In reality, they’re 4-2 with a game against the struggling Tennessee Titans (1-5) on deck.
Cleveland has one of the most favorable schedules in football, including a long stretch of home games between Weeks 10 and 14. Cleveland is 3-0 at home this year, too, beating a trio of teams in the Panthers, Steelers, and Ravens who sport a combined 11-6 record.
This isn’t a team that should be looking to sell a useful veteran depth player like Jeudy for a Day 3 draft pick next month.
Monken promised to get Jeudy more involved going forward, and for an offense that’s done next to nothing with any semblance of consistency — outside of maybe game-winning drives in the fourth quarter of games — that sounds like a better plan than all the trade ideas circulating the internet.
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