ENGLEWOOD COLO. — The indictment against the ENGLEWOOD, Colo., may be even more severe Denver BroncosLast season,’offense was more than the number of wide receivers Jerry Jeudy didn’t get the ball.
Jeudy was repeatedly used to move the ball in order to simulate a snap. Over and over, Jeudy was used in motion to fake a snap. The play was poorly timed and poorly run. The ball was routinely snapped long after he passed or before he reached the spot behind him.
It was the weekly reminder of the inability to free the playmaker trapped within the guy, who went on without scoring a touchdown in the 2021 season. This season, the main focus was on the need to make that change.
“[Jeudy] is ready to do some things in this offense,’’ said Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. “We see how much he puts into this, we see what he can do. Everybody in the room, including all of the receivers, knows what it means to have [quarterback] Russell Wilson This team. It’s going to be different for everybody.’’
“We were all frustrated, especially at (the season ),”’s end), said Zach Azzanni wide receivers coach. “We’re moving forward, the room feels fresh and optimistic. Jerry is healthy, new deal, new mindset, new season.
Wilson’s arrival in the March trade with the Seattle Seahawks It has changed the landscape and the playbook for the Broncos. It changed everything, Sutton stated, for every player on their roster.
Wilson’s arrival could mean the most for Jeudy. Wilson may also know this because he’s sought out Jeudy during drills for conversation between drills.
Wilson called Jeudy “a bright light’’ in recent weeks and added “he’s going to have a really amazing year. He’s so confident right now. He’s playing his best football that I’ve seen. He’s really sharp, he understands every concept of what we’re trying to do and how to get there. Every route is just perfect, and he’s been really great for us.’’
But Jeudy has been a bit of a football riddle since the Broncos made him the 15th pick of the 2020 draft, perhaps the most affected by the Broncos’ struggles on offense, fueled by the procession of quarterbacks as well as what seemed like a mishmash of plays strung together without enough of a big-picture plan. Jeudy has 90 receptions for 1,323 yards, and three touchdowns in his two NFL seasons.
Jeudy is a gifted route-runner, with the kind speed and short-area quickness to create space against even the best cornerbacks in the league, but whether it’s been drops, a failure to find a comfort level in the offensive playbook, an injury or just the team’s inability to create ways to get him the ball, his production has not matched his potential.
In his rookie season, he turned less than half of his targets into receptions. Jeudy didn’t really recover his momentum after he missed seven games because of an ankle injury suffered in last season’s opener. In the eight last games, he only received over 60 yards.
This is something Nathaniel Hackett, coach, has stated he wants to fix, especially since Jeudy Sutton and KJ Hamler After Tim Patrick, the Broncos’ leading touchdown catcher, sustained a knee injury that ended his season in training camp, Patrick will need to lift more weights.
“[Jeudy] asks great questions at coaches meetings — he calls me out a couple of times, which is awesome,’’ Hackett said. “I love that, and that’s just going to show that he’s going to grow more and more. He’s definitely capable of doing a lot of different things.’’
Wilson mentioned that Jeudy was a regular attendee at the quarterback meetings, as well as the meetings for all of the offense’s players. Jeudy is also posted there.
Jeudy stated, “Just learning how to think like a quarterback, understanding their reads, understanding their thought process, and understanding what they’re going though.” “That was the most important thing I learned about running my routes, knowing when it’s time to speed things up and when it’s time to slow them down. … It has helped me understand the timing of plays.
Sutton has already shown he’s a reliable option for Wilson in practice as Wilson has consistently looked Sutton’s way when under pressure from the rush or in the two-minute or red zone situations. Hamler, who has just had knee and hip surgery, still has the elite speed to open some of the coverages that the Broncos will be seeing.
But Jeudy’s route running makes him a catch-and-run option the Broncos need if the offense is really going to challenge defenses that haven’t felt very challenged by the Broncos offense in the post-Peyton Manning era. Wilson’s sense of timing and ability to see the mismatches more quickly will help.
Jeudy needs to demonstrate in games what he’s shown in practice.
“Opportunities arise in this league daily, and opportunities in this league also close quickly,’’ said Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten. “With him and anyone else, when an opportunity arises in the room in a competition, pushing for a spot or being the lead guy, that has to be on a consistent basis. Jerry is progressing a lot faster than he was in OTAs. He is more comfortable with Russ and the expectations of Russ. He’s meeting them more.’’