Denver Broncos’ second-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is set to explode in 2021, but he won’t do it without cutting down on dropped passes.
Denver Broncos‘ second-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will get in plenty of conditioning in the 2021 season, but on the back end of that conditioning should be at least 140 targets, if not many more. Jeudy was targeted 113 times in his rookie season and even though that’s already a hefty amount, he should be in line for more work in year two.
Those 113 targets in 2020 came from Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, and even Kendall Hinton. It shouldn’t have been surprising that Jeudy’s frustration boiled over a bit in his rookie season as he struggled with dropped passes but also off-target throws when he was wide open.
And Jeudy is typically pretty wide open.
Already one of the best receivers in the NFL at creating separation with his advanced route-running skills.
With a catch percentage under 50 percent in his rookie season, Jeudy is focusing on what he can control in the 2021 offseason. The number one area Jeudy needs to improve to have the breakout season everyone is anticipating? Hand strength.
Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is in the lab
Jeudy is known for his relentless work habits and perfecting his craft. Although everyone is mystified by his route-running skills, it’s great to see the former first-round pick working on his hand strength.
https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1415082981421580289
Pro Football Reference only credits Jeudy with 10 drops over the course of his rookie season, though that figure seems rather low.
Regardless, Jeudy needs to cut down on the dropped passes in a big way and no one is more aware of that than he is.
After his first NFL game last season against the Tennessee Titans, Jeudy was asked what he would remember the most. His answer was simply, “The drops,” and it was understandable. You could argue that Jeudy’s issue with dropped passes last season cost the Denver Broncos a chance to win against the Titans as well as later in the season against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He made his share of big plays and will continue to do so, and it’s not uncommon for receivers transitioning from the college to pro game to struggle with dropped passes early. Courtland Sutton’s drop percentage as a rookie (8.3 percent) was very similar to Jeudy’s 8.8 percent in 2020.
Denver Broncos: Players on the chopping block at each position
The Denver Broncos will have plenty of difficult roster decisions to make in 2021. Which players are on the chopping block at each position group?
Everyone is rightly expecting huge things from Jeudy in year two, and improved hands will make him nearly unstoppable.