The Cleveland Browns saw Jerry Jeudy finish 2024 with 1,229 yards and four touchdowns. It was a solid season for many, and the idea among fans was that he'd continue to develop in his second year in Cleveland. There was a problem, however. While he was sixth in the NFL in receiving yards, he was first with 10 drops.
Jeudy has shown that his drop issues weren't just a 2024 problem, but part of who he is as a player. He's not a reliable passing option, as he'll drop simple passes at a given notice. Not only that, but he'll drop passes at crucial moments of the game. Other teams rely on players in big moments, who deliver, and then there are the Browns, who ask a receiver to do the basic gist of his job, and they still somehow can't.
It creates a wild dilemma for the Browns, who have Jeudy under contract through the 2027 season. But while they just rewarded the 26-year-old for his breakout campaign, they must make the choice to move on as soon as possible.
Browns Must Move on From Jerry Jeudy Amid Tough 2025 Start
Jeudy's stats have the look of a No. 1 receiver, but the drops weren't the only reason his numbers feel inflated. The Browns only had three players with 60 or more targets last season: (Jeudy, David Njoku, and Elijah Moore) and of those three, Njoku and Moore didn't break 600 yards receiving. It seemed like Jeudy was an outlier on a bad team. But instead Instead, it feels as though Jeudy was force-fed the ball due to a lack of talented options around him – a reality that's becoming more and more obvious as the 2025 season continues on.
The Browns don't have a lot of talent at wide receiver or tight end, with Harold Fannin Jr. being their best option at the moment. That makes the idea that the Browns need to move on from Jeudy a wild one. But the fact is, his 2024 campaign was less of a "breakout season" and more of a "one season wonder". He's unreliable as a pass-catcher and his routes can sometimes drag, leaving him out of position for big play opportunities.
Cleveland has made a move to shore up the offensive line on Monday, and it seems counter-productive to move on from Jeudy when the team is clearly trying to win. But the Browns aren't going to be able to win with Jeudy on the team. Their best bet is to trade him to a team that isn't aware of how unreliable he is just yet, and get something back for him. Jeudy's contract makes that challenging with an $11.95 million cap hit for a pre-June 1 trade next offseason but it's also something that may have to be done.
The Browns should focus on improving their receiver room still at this point in the season, but even if they were to make a trade with the Houston Texans or Tennessee Titans for a veteran receiver, it's not like losing Jeudy is going to adversely affect the team any. The Browns can both move on from Jeudy while looking to bolster the wide receiver corps.