Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy sees the positive and negative in the NFL team’s quarterback competition.
From a receiver’s perspective, working with four quarterbacks without a clear No. 1 or perhaps even a pecking order can be “pretty difficult,” Jeudy said.
“You want to always build that relationship with a quarterback and have that consistency throughout the years,” Jeudy said on Wednesday. “But, you know, as a receiver going through that, you just got to keep working and you got to learn how to adjust no matter what. You know, some situations ain’t going to go as planned, so you just got to figure out how to just keep going and stay on the right path.”
On the other hand, Jeudy said, the competition should sharpen the play of all the quarterbacks.
“That’s just making each quarterback get better, compete against each other,” Jeudy said. “You know, it really drives them to really be the best version of themselves, so you always want that as a quarterback.”
The situation isn’t new for Jeudy. Last season, the Browns used four starting quarterbacks, and the season-opening No. 1 isn’t among the four seeking the job for 2025.
An Achilles injury sent Deshaun Watson to the sidelines after he started the first seven games of the 2024 season. He had a setback in his recovery that required a second surgery in January, jeopardizing Watson’s return in 2025.
Cleveland also used Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe as starting quarterbacks in 2024. None remains with the team.
This offseason, the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett after he backed up Jalen Hurts all the way to a victory in Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles. Cleveland signed 17-year veteran Joe Flacco in free agency. Then the Browns drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
Jeudy said the best thing he can do to help the quarterbacks is “just get open. You know, run my routes how I’ve been doing and just keep doing what I’ve been doing. You know, there’s only so much I can control. All I can do is just run routes and get open, so that’s what I’m going to continue doing.”
Since Jeudy joined the Denver Broncos from Alabama as the 15th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, he hasn’t played for a team that has used only one starting quarterback in a season. Before the Browns’ four starters last season, Jeudy played with Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, Teddy Bridgewater, Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham as starting quarterbacks with the Broncos.
Cleveland acquired Jeudy last offseason in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2024 draft. The wide receiver responded with the best season of his NFL career. Jeudy received Pro Bowl recognition as he had 90 receptions for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns.
“Jerry is still a young player,” Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday. “I think Jerry has room to grow, and I think he would tell you that. There’s techniques that he’s working on. It was Year 1 with us for him, so getting a feel of the route concepts that he’s really good at, things that he can improve upon.
“But with Year 2 with a team, you’re constantly thinking about that next step, and that can come in a variety of ways. Certainly, usage in where we put him and how we use him, what position he’s playing and when you’re motioning him, when you’re doing different things, I think that those are all the types of things that can grow in the Year 2.”
The Browns are in the final portion of their offseason program, with the quarterbacks throwing to receivers covered by Cleveland defenders. The team’s last practice is scheduled for June 19. After that comes the summer break until training camp convenes in late July.
