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Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is feasting in one particular area in 2022

By Jordan Lopez

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 04: Jerry Jeudy #10 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch in the second quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 04: Jerry Jeudy #10 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch in the second quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy returned against the Baltimore Ravens from his ankle injury and made an immediate impact when on the field. He was on a “limited snap count” and still recorded:

  • 4 Targets-4 Receptions
  • 65 Yards Receiving (AVG 16.3 Y/REC)
  • 6.50 Y/RR (Yards per Route Run)
  • 20 Snaps (38% of Team Plays)

Jeudy has been one of the most consistent players on the offense this year, but injuries have kept him off the field a bit this year. When he is 100% healthy and on the field, he is one of the best wide receivers at Y/RR (Yards per Route Run).

Jerry Jeudy is dominating against man coverage in 2022

One thing to note before explaining the importance of this specific statistic, not all statistics tell the whole story. Statistics can paint a different story at times, so it’s imperative to know which statistics are vital to look at and which are important.

For judging and examining how wide receivers are doing, the most crucial statistic to research is Y/RR. It’s a reasonably new statistic that has become more popular in recent years, and it’s the best one to look at.

Fantasypros.com has the best definition on the statistic and it states, “Yards per route run simply takes the total receiving yards a player accumulated in a given year and divides that by how many routes on passing plays he actually ran. Looking at raw statistics can be somewhat misleading, but looking at yards per route run for a wide receiver actually shows what a player is doing with the opportunity presented to him.”

It’s the most efficient metric when evaluating how good a wide receiver is playing in the league. With that being said, Jeudy has been one of the best when given the opportunity.

This graph/data is from PFF which has a great database on statistics and metrics like Y/RR. What stands out on this graph is that Tyreek Hill is a problem against man and zone coverage. Another player that stands out is Jeudy being THE best receiver against man coverage and it’s not even close.

Jerry Jeudy is over 6.0 Y/RR on man coverage and the average for that is 2.0. As a matter of fact, the second-best receiver in man coverage is Ja’Marr Chase, and he is a little above 3.5 Y/RR. So when the opportunity is given, Jeudy is the best receiver against man coverage. Not only does it show this specific metric, but on film too.

Against zone coverage, Jeudy is a little below average at 1.4 Y/RR. The average is around 1.65 Y/RR, but there is more to the story regarding the struggles with zone coverage and Jeudy.

The offense hasn’t been great this year and the passing concepts have been wildly inconsistent with HC Nathaniel Hackett. It also does not help when QB Russell Wilson is bottom-five in the league in Y/PA (Yards per Attempt), meaning that the offense is facing a lot more zone coverage than man. For a good reason too.

Those are not excuses for Jeudy performing a little below average against zone coverage; those are just facts.

The same case can be said for Courtland Sutton, as he is also shown in the graph performing below average in zone coverage. Sutton has had a disappointing season so far but, there is a lot of football left to play and hopefully, he will recover from his hamstring injury soon.

There has been talk about what Jeudy can produce if given more opportunities and it’s a shame that the Broncos have failed to do that for three years. Hackett and Wilson have incorporated Jeudy a bit more as he has recently seen more targets than usual.

Hopefully, Jerry Jeudy can stay healthy as he can continue to help the offense when he is on the field.  It’s been shown that he is one of the most efficient players in the league at Y/RR.

I understand if some people may be anti-analytical with some statistics because I am the same way with some specific metrics. That’s why it is key to know the important ones like Y/RR.

Even if you do not want to believe that Jeudy is good based on important statistics, I encourage you to look at the film. Film never lies.

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