Jerry Jeudy can thrive by receiving true WR1 treatment
By Jordan Lopez
After watching the Denver Broncos drop one against the New York Jets 16-9, one of the positive takeaways is Jerry Jeudy’s great game. Even with QB2 Brett Rypien starting for Russell Wilson, Jeudy recorded:
- 7 REC (11 Targets)
- 96 Yards
- 13.7 AVG
While Jeudy has been ridiculed for his “lack of production” through the years in Denver, Rypien made an emphasis giving him the ball against the Jets and it played out great. The passing offense was much better, and they moved the ball down the field.
Some of Broncos Country love to criticize Jeudy for his drops and for not producing superstar-level numbers for the Broncos. A lot of people have entertained the idea of even trading the former first-round pick.
What if I told you that Jeudy can not only have WR1 numbers but also be mentioned among the elite young wide receivers in the NFL?
Jerry Jeudy can easily become WR1 and the stats prove it
For everyone still claiming that Jerry Jeudy still can’t catch the ball and still has a “serious” drop issue, let’s put that to rest now. After having those particular issues in his rookie year in 2020, he has improved in that category.
Jeudy recorded one drop last year out of the 10 games he played. Regarding this year, he is tied with Courtland Sutton in drops after having a drop against the Jets. Jeudy has also had 47 targets with only 28 being labeled as “catchable passes.”
So all the blame that he has received is not all on him.
Nonetheless, this stereotype of him dropping passes has to stop. Deebo Samuel currently leads the league in drops with seven yet no one has criticized him and tried to run him out of San Francisco. Ja’Marr Chase has five drops too. Some of the best receivers drop the ball and that is just the reality of it.
Now some of the best receivers don’t get the criticism for it because they produce for their teams and break all of these team records. Young superstar wide receivers like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and others get praised every day for their production.
Those players rightfully deserve all the praise and acknowledgment they receive on a daily basis. No one is taking away anything from them but let’s dive a bit deeper into why Jeudy hasn’t produced the way they have.
Jerry Jeudy can have GREAT numbers IF…
An interesting statistic people should know when comparing Jerry Jeudy to Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase, and other young superstar wide receivers is the percentage of team targets they get.
This is the primary factor for why these great wide receivers generate these great numbers. The more times they get targeted, the more times they catch the ball and have the type of impact fans would want from their superstar players.
Let’s compare the three young superstar wide receivers to Jeudy and the percentage of team targets they get:
- Justin Jefferson 29.3% of team targets
- CeeDee Lamb 32.2% of team targets
- Ja’Marr Chase 27.7% of team targets
- Jerry Jeudy 20.1% of team targets
The differential in team targets between Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase to Jeudy is not even remotely close. It’s a reflection of how poorly Jeudy has been used offensively by the Broncos.
Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase are known for their impact and nearly getting 100 yards of receiving or more every game. They capitalize on the opportunity given due to the many chances they receive throughout the game. It reflects perfectly.
The reason why fans haven’t seen the high numbers with Jeudy like the other guys is because he barely gets 20% of the team targets. Chase, who has the lowest amongst the three, gathers nearly 28% of the team targets. There’s a reason why they succeed at such a high rate and this is the main reason why.
Jeudy can have an impact like them as well and he has proven it too. For example, Jeudy had 11 of the 45 team targets (equates to 24% of the team targets which is still nowhere near Chase) against the Jets this past Sunday. Jeudy recorded seven catches for 96 yards, nearly hitting triple digits.
Similar games that Jeudy received around the same percentage of team targets as Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase have been the two games in 2020 against the Falcons (31% of the team targets, similar to Lamb) when he recorded 125 yards receiving with a touchdown and against the Raiders when he led the team in targets and recorded 140 yards receiving with a touchdown.
In conclusion, if Jeudy is given the opportunity like Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase, he can not only produce superstar-type numbers but have a much greater impact on the game. The numbers are there to prove the point. Numbers don’t lie.
The unfair criticism Jeudy has received from NFL pundits and fans for not living up to expectations has been unjust and unwarranted. If people are expecting Jeudy, or any wide receiver, to have numbers similar to Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase while only having 20% of the team targets while they get 28% or more of the team targets is just impossible.
The numbers prove that if Jeudy gets treated like one of the young wide receiver superstars and gets around the same percentage of team targets, he can easily generate WR1 numbers.
Jerry Jeudy has managed to total at least 50 receiving yards in all but one of his seven games (omitting the Texans game due to injury) this season.