Broncos Player Profile: Jerry Jeudy | WR
It was a rough rookie season at times for Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, but he still showed his potential on multiple occasions, showcasing why he was the team's first-round pick. There are multiple areas where Jeudy struggled, but the most prominent one was his penchant for drops.
Jeudy's hands were a mess and he finished his rookie campaign with a whopping drop percentage of just over 18%. He has spent time this offseason working on his hands, so hopefully, that drop rate dips significantly from his rookie season.
There are some knee-jerking fans who inexplicably want to call Jeudy a bust already because of his rookie drop rate, but that hyperbole ignores all of the good he did for the Broncos' offense. Despite the drops, he was still in the top-6 for rookie receivers last year in average depth of target, yards per route run, missed tackles forced, and contested catches.
The drops hurt, but they weren't the only takeaway from Jeudy's rookie year.
When it comes to Jeudy's struggles, the other factor to keep in perspective was the fact that he had the most quarterback-faulted incompletions, according to Pro Football Focus, and dealt with one of the worst on-target ratings from a QB in all of the NFL.
What that means is that the quarterback placed the ball poorly for Jeudy consistently, leading to the most incompletions as a result. Jeudy needs precision from the quarterback position to be the most effective version of himself that he can be.
There are a lot of things, besides hands, that Jeudy needs to work on and so far this offseason, he seems to be putting in the work. However, the factors that led to his rookie season were not all in his control.
Still, he finished with one of the most prolific rookie campaigns in Broncos history, totaling 52 receptions (on 113 targets) for 856 yards and three touchdowns. Only Eddie Royal in 2008 had more receptions and yards than Jeudy in the team's all-time annals.
While that's a positive harbinger, this will be a very telling year for Jeudy. There will be no excuses if his struggles with his hands continue.
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