Outside of Broncos Country, it feels like there aren’t a whole lot of believers in many aspects of the Denver Broncos. I get it to a degree, but to look past the team entirely just isn’t something I think people should do. That being said, there is at least one believer in one of the team’s young wide receivers.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has listed Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on his 2023 NFL All-Breakout team. With the defensive list coming out in early June, Brooks came out with an offensive team that consists of Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney, Steelers receiver George Pickens, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, and Jeudy.
It’s awesome to see a Broncos player get recognized as a future star and not someone literally everybody has given up on. Just this offseason, there were rumblings that Jeudy could be included in a trade out of Denver, especially with the drafting of Marvin Mims. While that is still possible, it just doesn’t feel likely in my opinion. I feel like any trade of a wide receiver for the Broncos would have happened already.
Brooks says of Jeudy:
“The route-running specialist has a chance to emerge as the Broncos' featured pass catcher in Sean Payton's offense. As a versatile playmaker with the potential to create mismatches from the slot or out wide, Jeudy gives Payton a versatile chess piece to deploy all over the chessboard. Given the creative play caller's success with Michael Thomas,Brandin Cooks, Marques Colston and many others over the years, Jeudy could finish with 100-plus catches as Denver's No. 1 option.”
Brooks hits the nail right on the head with this paragraph. All three of the wide receivers he listed had done quite well under Payton as head coach. While Cooks has done well even without Payton, the other two wide receivers either hadn’t not had Payton as head coach (Colston) or have just been injured far too much as of late (Thomas). The Thomas comparison isn’t exactly fair, but what can anyone really do about injuries?
I’m truly fascinated to see how Payton ends up using Jeudy. I have no doubt that he’ll put the young receiver in the right position(s) to succeed. Jeudy seemed to have a case of the dropsies in 2021 and scored no touchdowns but came back in 2022 to score six touchdowns while falling just shy of 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
It’s safe to say that we should not give up on Jeudy just yet—maybe ever. The 2023 season will be telling. I am a full believer of Jeudy, especially with the addition of Payton.