Although he’s long been overlooked by Broncos Country, Jerry Jeudy is a special wide receiver with elite ability in specific facets of the game.
Thanks to a recent spike in production and Jeudy having the best year of his young career, which was capped this past week with a three-touchdown performance (the first for a Bronco receiver since Demaryius Thomas in 2014) more and more people are taking notice of the Denver Broncos’ potential star.
On Wednesday, we were treated to two defensive superstars, Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons, who both have elite football IQs and are arguably the best players in the sport at their respective positions, breaking down what makes Jerry Jeudy such a difficult coverage assignment.
“It’s his ability to run routes,” the All-Pro safety, Simmons, told the media. “I like to imagine, with the receiver position, a lot of it is creativity and the connection between you and the quarterback. I think that one route that Jeudy ran — it was like a slant where he was double-covered — he set it up perfectly and made the top guy — I think it was the safety or the nickel — bite outside and he was able to steal that inside window. Things like that are what makes him special. Obviously, from a defensive perspective, you do those coverages for a certain reason to take that guy away. The fact that he was still able to get open speaks to some of his creativity, his route running and the ability to get open. That’s stuff that we’ve seen since day one with him and it was really nice to see that come to fruition Sunday when we played the Chiefs.”
Jerry Jeudy’s elite route running is no secret. So far this season, he’s averaging 4.87 yards, every time he runs a route against man coverage, which is the best mark in the league. Not, every time he catches a pass, or every time he’s targeted. Every time he runs a route.
That creativity is also displayed in his improved ability to find the soft spots against zone coverage. On the season, Jeudy is tied for 53rd in yards per route vs. zone coverage (ranked out of 91 receivers with at least 10 targets vs. both zone and man coverage), but since the Jacksonville game, he ranks fifth in that same category.
The fact Jerry Jeudy is now able to get open, no matter the coverage, is a key reason for his breakout.
This sentiment was echoed by Surtain.
“Obviously, he’s aplay maker but I think it starts with his approach to it,” Surtain said. Highlighting Jeudy’s approcah might surprise some people, given the unfair narratives Broncos Country has saddled the receiver with. “He runs probably the best routes in the NFL—top routes in the NFL. Once you get that and once he gets the ball in his hands, he is capable of taking it to the house. He’s one of those special guys and dominant players on the offensive side of the ball that you know you have to keep an eye on for opposing defenses.”
The decision to not trade Jerry Jeudy at the trade deadline is looking better by the week.
