Browns WR Jerry Jeudy Playing For More Than Revenge In Denver

After being traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason, former Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will face his former team for the first time with plenty to play for

Oct 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) signals for a first down against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Jerry Jeudy's arrival in Cleveland back in March was met with a dose of unexpected controversy.

The trade itself was mostly innocuous. The Browns shipped 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Denver Broncos to acquire the 2020 first-rounder, who hadn't quite lived up to his the selection. For that reason, Jeudy's departure became an opportunity for pundits around the Broncos to lob some grenades his way on the way out if town.

None produced a bigger explosion than three-time Super Bowl Champion Mark Schlereth going on a social media tirade to call Jeudy a "bust," punctuating his rant with a "good riddance." The rant elicited a response from Jeudy and plenty of commentary from the peanut gallery that is social media.

But sometimes one man's trash is another man's treasure. And what Schlereth was so ready to see gone, has turned out to be a pretty good piece for the Browns in year one of this union.

Now Jeudy gets to exact some revenge against the Mark Schlereths of the world who considered him a lost cause. On Monday night football he'll make am emphatic return to the city and the stadium where he began his career. Looking to prove that the organization was wrong about him.

Jeudy actually revealed this week that he requested a trade out of Denver during the offseason, which is what sparked his eventual trade to Cleveland. Knowing that makes the split feel like more of a mutual parting of ways. What it doesn't change, however, is what was said about him on the way out of town.

"You know you always wanna beat the opposing team that you used to play for," Jeudy said of the emotions he felt about going back to the Mile High City fo face his former team. "That's just the competitive nature of us athletes. ... I ain't circle [this game], but I definitely seen it was on the schedule. Was very excited about it. And now it's here. It's time to perform."

Try as he did to channel his inner Kevin Stefanski last week, it's pretty obvious this game means a little bit more to the 25-year-old.

Monday night isn't just about getting the better of his former team though. Ever since the Browns traded veteran wideout Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills nearly two months ago, Juedy has been out to prove that he can be Cleveland's bona fide No. 1 wide receiver. Or perhaps it goes back even further than that to the organization handing him a three-year $58 million extension before he'd even played a down.

Fair or unfair, that decision raised expectations for Jeudy. The Browns bet on the young wideout finally reaching his full potential, and over the last four games – all with Jameis Winston at QB – Jeudy has been worth every penny.

Over that span, he's caught 24 passes for 380 yards and a touchdown. The stretch was highlighted by a six-catch, 142-yard, one-touchdown performance against the New Orleans Saints back in Week 11. The game saw Jeudy break free for an 89-yard score – the second-longest touchdown reception of his career – to go along with that single-game, career-high 142 yards. There isn't a four game stretch like this one throughout the early tenure of Jeudy's career.

He's on pace to produce the first 1,000-yard season of his career – something that was a major point of contention for Browns fans when the trade went down. How he finishes the home stretch of the season, starting with Monday night in Denver, could help determine how high the wide receiver position ends up on the Browns offseason shopping list.

That's not to say they don't need to bolster the room in some capacity. But Jeudy continuing to produce at a high level maybe allows Andrew Berry and his staff to pivot toward wideouts who can play a supporting role, rather than needing to go big game hunting.

"Jeudy's Revenge" will be the flashy headline for Monday Night Football. This game means much more than that for Jeudy, though. With his fellow Alabama Crimson Tide teammate Patrick Surtain expected to be lined up across from him for most of the night, he can make quite the statement about where he fits among the top wideouts in football. And perhaps prove that the Browns were right to bet on him.