Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy Reveals the 'Best DB' he's Ever Gone Against
With his fifth-year contract option secured, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy could be in a settled enough head space to become an elite NFL player. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, alongside scores of other experts, has already made the bold prediction that this will be the season when Jeudy’s explosive skill set finally comes together.
Of course, Jeudy has flashed here and there. But it was the 24-year-old's strong end to last season that provided the most tantalizing indicator that he's close to becoming the total package.
Jeudy is well aware of the high-octane engine he has stashed under the hood, with his precision route running, in particular, being the envy of a great many of his contemporaries. So, when Jeudy checked in with former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall on the I AM ATHLETE Podcast, predictably, the conversation turned to why he's not dining at the top table quite yet.
“It’s been a tough few years for my career. [The] first year, I played the whole season, but I had a couple of drops that I could have went for 1,000 yards that year," Jeudy said. "But I had a couple of drops that didn’t go good. My second year, getting off to a good start in the first game - got hurt – missed like six, seven games, and that year was tough with the offense and everything. Last year, you know, with everything going on, everything was just not connecting – there was no consistency.”
Jeudy is of the opinion that outside of his injury issues, it's been three years of poor continuity on offense that has been holding him back. He admitted that, as he progresses deeper into his NFL career, the unflinching commitment to studying game film, while always a passion of his, has developed more nuances to it.
“I feel like I started watching it correctly for real,” Jeudy said. “Because, when I first started – I just really watched the DBs, see who I’m going against – or how they play. Their leverage, their techniques – do they like to jam or do they like to backpedal – do they like to shadow? That’s what I really look for.”
Jeudy is also constantly learning by pitting his talents against Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II in training camp in one-on-one battles. The duo shared the same space during their college days spent together at Alabama, and Jeudy has been left with no doubt that his teammate is the best defensive back he has ever locked horns against.
“Pat [is] the best DB I ever went against, ever, ever, ever,” Jeudy said. “Because, when I go against DBs, you can just tell, you beat them a couple of times easy, Pat you really got to think, like, 'Alright, this is what I’m going to do.' You can’t play around with Pat too much. The man is different, he’s long, he’s smart, he’s fast.”
Much as Payton’s arrival is expected to see the offensive game plan heavily tailored to best suit Russell Wilson, the veteran coach still has plenty of experience putting his receivers in good position to catch the ball regardless. Jeudy already likes how he's fitting into a scheme that has a use for the entire route tree.
“Certain routes, with the splits and stuff like that, we didn’t do that too much my past year being in the league,” Jeudy said. “With certain splits that when we can run a different route out of, they can’t really recognize what routes we got. So, that’s one thing I know he’s brought to the offense.”
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
