Jerry Jeudy's trade stock plummets as WR casts blame on Broncos teammates
With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, the wide receiver market is in high demand. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers are all teams monitoring potential upgrades at wideout.
One receiver who has continuously been floated in trade speculation is Jerry Jeudy, who has been linked to both the Panthers and Colts in recent weeks. However, diminishing production and public spats continue to nosedive Jeudy's trade value.
Multiple league executives have informed Fowler they "couldn't justify" trading a Day 2 pick for the Denver Broncos receiver. Others in NFL circles believed Jeudy could carry a late third-round pricetag — a far cry for a player Denver selected No. 15 overall just three years ago.
Jeudy's production — like most Broncos players — has plummeted in 2023. After posting a career-high 972 receiving yards a season ago, the Alabama product has amassed just 222 yards on 20 receptions while failing to find the end zone through five games this year.
If the lack of on-field output wasn't enough, Jeudy continues to find himself at the forefront of controversy.
His much-publicized rift with Panthers legend Steve Smith ultimately spilled over on air during NFL Network's "Thursday Night Football" pregame show in Week 6. There was also a social media interaction where Jeudy clapped back at Broncos all-time leading receiver Rod Smith for criticism after Denver's Week 4 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Now it appears Jeudy is taking aim at his Broncos teammates and coaches, projecting his lack of production on others.
“As a receiver, there’s a lot of people you’ve got to depend on," Jeudy told reporters on Tuesday. “You can be open, but if the line don’t do their thing or the quarterback didn't do their job or the (offensive coordinator) don’t put you (in a good spot), it’s a whole lot of stuff that you’ve got to go through as a receiver to be successful."
"Ya’ll need to go watch the film instead of looking at the stats. Go watch the film and see what it do," he added.
Ultimately, Jeudy appears to be operating on borrowed time in Denver. The Broncos are not getting the WR1 production they had hoped for when they drafted him, while Jeudy's frustration seems to be mounting by the day.
Still, teams will gamble on the upside, and at just 24 years old, Jeudy has that in bunches. Over his final five games of 2022, the wideout averaged 91.6 YPG and scored three touchdowns.
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