The Cleveland Browns struck gold in the Jerry Jeudy trade, rolling the dice on a polarizing first-round pick and reaping the benefits of his delayed trajectory. Atop the 2025 NFL Draft, they doubled down on that success by trading out of the No. 2 pick and the rights to Travis Hunter, who general manager Andrew Berry viewed as a receiver first and corner second.
The Browns are sticking with Jeudy as their top target, but they’ve failed to surround him with a quality option under center.
Despite two veteran acquisitions and two mid-round picks at the position, Cleveland left 2024 with the conference’s worst quarterback room and didn’t necessarily improve in the offseason.
With Deshaun Watson sidelined, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco hoping to start, and neophytes Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders fighting for scraps, it’s hard to be optimistic about Jeudy’s short-term production. Don’t tell that to the Alabama product.
Jeudy revealed his take on the Browns’ crazy quarterback competition, and he seems far more optimistic than most fans.
“I like it because that’s just making each quarterback get better, competing against each other, really drive them to be the best version of themselves,” Jeudy said on Wednesday. “So, you always want that as a quarterback — or four quarterbacks.”
Regardless of Jeudy’s approach, instability under center isn’t ideal for anyone. It’s fewer first-team reps, fewer chances to develop chemistry, and more on the plate of Cleveland’s pass-catchers as they grow used to each passer’s idiosyncrasies.
“It’s pretty difficult because you want to always build that relationship with a quarterback and have that consistency throughout the years,” Jeudy said. “But as a receiver going through that, you’ve just got to keep working and learn how to adjust no matter what. Some situations aren’t going to go as planned, so you’ve just got to figure out how to just keep going and stay on the right path.”
Fortunately for the Browns, Jeudy is signed through 2027. He can elevate the modest quarterback room in 2025 and take advantage of its potential improvement in the coming seasons. It isn’t clear whether that would be through the acquisition of a high-profile quarterback next offseason or the development of a 2025 rookie, but Jeudy’s banking on early returns on the latter.
“They’re working hard. They’re competing very well — very smart, athletic quarterbacks that know the game of football, know how to play the position real well. Very smart. I’m excited. They’ve got a bright future ahead of them.”
