Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Denver Broncos have just been given a violent shove into the "desperate times" category. So what desperate measures will be taken, if any? The George Paton way has typically been "next man up", although not to sell him short -- Paton has been aggressive and made his share of trades as well.
But the Denver Broncos are going to have to get creative at the wide receiver position with the news that Jerry Jeudy was carted off the field at joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. It could just be precautionary for Jeudy, but initial reports indicate that Jeudy was taken off the field with an apparent hamstring injury and the fact that the cart came out is rarely a good sign at all.
Jerry Jeudy carted off field at Broncos practice https://t.co/LSF46N9h9l via @9NEWS #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 24, 2023
Hopefully the reports back after Jeudy was taken off the practice field are as positive as possible. Hamstring injuries for wide receivers can be a real pain in the neck to deal with because their job is so specifically reliant on quickness, agility, and bursts of speed. No injury is necessarily "better" than another, but Jeudy's top strengths are his route running, ability to create separation, and ability to create yardage after the catch. Playing "through" a hamstring injury is really not an option.
Broncos HC Sean Payton says Jerry Jeudy is dealing with a hamstring. He’ll get an MRI and then the team will go from there.
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) August 24, 2023
Until we know an injury timeline, what can the Denver Broncos actually do? Well, the free agent crop available right now is not inspiring, even though it includes some bigger names like Julio Jones and Jarvis Landry. There are reasons those guys are not currently signed to NFL rosters. The league is about to have tons of players hit the waiver wire, so the Broncos could absolutely look there, but perhaps one of the best moves they could make is to do some sort of pick swap or send a late-rounder to the Cleveland Browns for Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Peoples-Jones could be on the outside looking in at the Cleveland Browns' roster right now with their offseason acquisitions of Elijah Moore (trade with the Jets) and Cedric Tillman (their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft).
The Browns were one NFL team among many that needed to completely overhaul their WR corps this offseason, and they did exactly that. Donovan Peoples-Jones racked up over 800 receiving yards last season but has found himself on the roster bubble this year due to the acquisitions they made. As we scour the market for any potential trades the Broncos could make at receiver, the fact that we're looking at a team like Cleveland is sort of proof that the Broncos simply didn't do enough to upgrade this position group in 2023.
Even before Jerry Jeudy went down, it was looking like 2022 UDFA Brandon Johnson was going to be the projected no. 3 receiver on the depth chart (even ahead of top pick Marvin Mims). The team's wide receiver depth is simply not good enough, and hasn't been. The Broncos previously had KJ Hamler and Tim Patrick among their top 6 or 7 projected guys, and neither of them are on the active roster right now. They lost Jalen Virgil to a knee injury in Week 2 of the preseason.
Even Johnson, who is an unknown at this point still, has had to work his way back from an ankle injury after already dealing with a major ankle sprain last year.
The Broncos have to do something more than just bringing in guys like Nick Williams and Michael Bandy. With all due respect to those guys, we are now talking about players perhaps needing to take on significant regular season snaps. The Broncos have to make a substantial move and the Jerry Jeudy injury, even if it turns out to be relatively minor, is a huge warning sign to get something done.