Cleveland Browns Pull the Trigger and Acquire Jerry Jeudy From the Broncos Via Trade

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In a somewhat unsurprising move, the Denver Broncos agreed to a trade with the Cleveland Browns in exchange for two draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. According to reports, the Browns agreed to terms with the Broncos to trade for Jerry Jeudy. The Browns will send fifth and sixth-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Broncos. With the start of free agency for the NFL beginning on March 11 and the NFL Draft at the end of April the implications won't be known for some time, but which team is the early winner in the trade?

For the Broncos, it frees up roughly $13 million of the salary cap. Paired with the other moves that the Broncos have already made, most notably with the release of safety Justin Simmons have enabled the team to be $30.5 million under the salary cap according to overthecap.com. The release of Russell Wilson, while also significant, is more of a hindrance to the salary cap for the Broncos. While the return for Jeudy might seem a bit light, it was clear that the team wanted to move on from the former first-round selection. It also positions the Broncos seven selections in the upcoming draft for the Broncos to fill needs and create the type of team that head coach Sean Payton wants. Grade B.

For Jeudy, the trade provides him with a fresh start with a new offense. After a promising rookie campaign, that saw him have 856 yards receiving and three touchdowns, Jeudy hit a sophomore slump of sorts due to inconsistency at the quarterback position. He had his best season in 2022 with 972 yards and six touchdowns. Over his career, he has started 44 of 57 games and recorded 3,053 yards since coming to the Broncos as the 15th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft.

For the Browns, the acquisition of Jeudy gives the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski another weapon for their offense and a viable number-two receiver to pair with Amari Cooper. Adding another weapon to the offense made sense for the Browns and will help give the Browns more options as quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Nick Chubb return from injuries. Adversely, the trade leaves the Browns with just three draft picks in the upcoming draft as well as very close to the salary cap, only $4.9 million under according to overthecap.com. While the Browns did acquire an upgrade for the offense, the combination of very little cap space and minimal draft picks is something that will be worth watching as the draft approaches. Grade C -.

The Broncos get a slight edge at this point from the trade. They acquired two late-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft which is very deep in several areas the team will be looking to improve. The move also frees up more money under the salary cap for the Broncos that they can use to sign free-agent targets. The question is who the selections will be? As well as if the Broncos will use the selections to move up in the draft. For the Browns, they did acquire Jeudy, however, with needs elsewhere was adding a receiver the best use of the draft picks? With the talented Nick Chubb coming back from the injury he suffered last season adding a running back seems like a more worthwhile investment.