PFF Stat Hints at How Broncos Might Use WR Jerry Jeudy in 2023
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Entering year four, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is finally on the cusp of proving he's the type of talent who can help turn defeats into wins. However, to fully reach his potential, the Broncos need to use Jeudy in a way that keeps opposing teams guessing.
Jeudy started to turn the corner last season when his injury issues disappeared, and he let his competitive juices flow more freely. His late-season emergence did enough to convince Broncos GM George Paton to exercise the former Alabama star's fifth-year contract option, so the team believes in what he can achieve.
Pro Football Focus is also a believer in the 24-year-old speedster, ranking him among the NFL's top slot receivers, and it may hint at how new head coach Sean Payton might deploy his explosive skill set.
Yards per route run: 2.18
Jeudy has been a phenomenal route runner ever since his days playing for Nick Saban at Alabama. He over-emphasizes his moves to create separation, which has become his calling card.
Jeudy started his NFL career in 2020, where he finished with a 64.8 receiving grade, but he has improved every year since, as his highest mark came in 2022 with a 77.9 receiving grade.
As Jeudy's workout videos always attested, his precision route running sets him apart from the majority of his NFL counterparts. Coach Payton surely understands that Jeudy might be most effective in lining up in the slot to create the best possible match-up advantages for the new-look Broncos offense.
As prolific as Jeudy has been in the slot, it's worth mentioning that one of the factors that precipitated his emergence late last season was the injury to Courtland Sutton, which vaulted Jeudy into the No. 1 wide receiver spot, aka, the X. Payton doesn't let X or Z receiver designations dictate a player's usage, but it's worth monitoring how it'll apply to Jeudy, considering how good he was in the X role down the stretch.
During Jeudy's college days, venerated Alabama head coach Nick Saban often had to apply the brakes on his receiver because of his tendency to over-practice when away from the facility.
“We actually had to try to monitor his work outside of the work we did so we wouldn’t have overuse problems with him, which is not normal in a lot of cases,” Saban said back in 2020 when Jeudy was drafted in the first round.
Jeudy's work ethic won't be an issue under the studious and demanding command of Payton. In fact, if Jeudy is to finally join the ranks of the NFL's superstar wideouts in 2023, he'll need to lean into that propensity.
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