Broncos not regretting moving on from Jerry Jeudy thanks to young WRs

In the spring, the Broncos made the difficult decision to move on from former first-round receiver Jerry Jeudy. Despite a few flashes during his tenure in Denver, Jeudy never turned into the true leading wideout that the Broncos had hoped he would be. His time in Denver ended up being just four seasons, resulting in only one 1,000-yard season, and a strugglesome 2023 that resulted in barely 750 receiving yards. The Broncos traded Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns for two 2024 day-three selections.

In his four years in Denver, Jeudy averaged roughly 750 yards a season, missed time in two different seasons due to injury, scored just 11 touchdowns, and had his share of distractions and issues, such as his random rivalry with retired NFL legend and NFL Network commentator Steve Smith Sr.

Jerry Jeudy has been an afterthought in Denver...

After the Broncos decided to move on from Jeudy, the major discussion became: who would line up opposite Courtland Sutton? There were different ideas and rumors about stars like Tee Higgins but despite all of that, the Broncos settled on a few rookies and Josh Reynolds as their non-Sutton receivers.

While Reynolds has been a non-factor of late due to his hand injury and being shot while already on the IR, the rookies the Broncos selected have begun to make an impact on the team's offense. Fourth-round rookie Troy Franklin and 7th-round rookie Devaughn Vele have become important pieces of the Broncos offense, and have cemented themselves as strong replacements for Jeudy.

Devaughn Vele has become the Broncos' second receiving option, thanks in large part to his size and his reliable hands. Vele, the rare 26-year-old rookie, was a 7th-round selection for the Broncos out of Utah. He missed some time with an injury in the first couple of weeks but has been one of the more reliable receivers on the field in recent weeks. Vele turned out for a handful of solid receptions on Sunday, totaling his first career 80-receiving yard game.

In his two most recent games, Vele has hauled in 10 receptions for 146 yards. On the year, he is 2nd on the Broncos in receiving yards with 361. Beyond Vele, rookie Troy Franklin has become a more common fixture in the Broncos offense, and his presence has been giving defenses other issues to worry about aside from Vele and Sutton.

In the Broncos' last four games, Franklin has been targeted 13 times, specifically in the screen game and on routes with offensive motion, and has a touchdown to go along with 79 receiving yards. The emergence of Franklin has also helped free up Marvin Mims into different roles in the offense, which has become a fixture for Denver every week.

The Broncos offense has reached a level of consistent output that felt unobtainable for years, averaging 24 points a game since week three, including six games of at least 25 points. This can be attributed in large part to the better play of Bo Nix at the quarterback position, but that would not be possible without his improvement of wide receivers, specifically that of Vele and Franklin. Their recent success has made Jerry Jeudy an afterthought, and his return a lot less bitter sweet than assumed before.