Broncos plan for Jerry Jeudy should coincide with expanded role for Marvin Mims

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Jerry Jeudy is frustrated.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that fact about his fourth-year wide receiver Monday, several days after he caught three passes for only 14 yards in a 19-8 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the lowest yardage output for Jeudy in a game he started and finished since a one-catch, five-yard performance against the Chiefs during his rookie season in 2020. Before Thursday’s game, Jeudy got into a verbal spat with former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Steve Smith, the latest incident in which Jeudy has exchanged barbs with former players.

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“He’s frustrated, I’m sure; he’s a talented player,” Payton said. “We need to continue to look for ways to get him throws — not only in the slot, but outside. The other stuff, I don’t try to keep track of as long as it’s not a distraction to what we’re doing as a team. That being said, he’s very competitive, he’s smart and he’s a playmaker for us. We have to continue to look for ways to put him in positions to make plays.”

In a new @BuckingPod, I’m joined by colleague @mattschneidman to talk #Broncos–#Packers with insight on what Denver should expect in facing Jordan Love for the first time: https://t.co/kYCJxx593l

— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) October 19, 2023

The question now, with the trade deadline less than two weeks away, is whether the Broncos try to address the frustration with Jeudy and find a way for him to flourish in Payton’s scheme; or whether they instead offer him a fresh start elsewhere by way of a trade, bringing back needed draft capital in the process. The Broncos, who took Jeudy with the 15th selection in 2020, picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract in March, guaranteeing his $13 million salary in 2024. That decision came after a strong finish to his third NFL season when he had 33 catches for 458 yards and three touchdowns across the final five games.

The arrow was pointing up. Now, it’s difficult to see whether that is still the case. He has 20 catches for 222 yards and no touchdowns across the five games he’s played in 2023, and his 69 percent reception rate is a significant drop from the 82.2 percent mark he posted over Denver’s final six games in 2022.

“The thing with Jerry is he’s one of the most talented guys in this league; we believe in him, I believe in him,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “He can do some really special things for us. We want him to get the ball. … Every great receiver wants the ball, and we should get it to him as much as we can get it to him.”

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Payton on Wednesday suggested that throwing the ball at Jeudy more frequently early in games could be a way to help him flourish.

“I don’t know that Jerry is one of these (receivers), but, man, a touch early on can go a long way — or a lack of a touch,” Payton said. “In all those years when we had a number of really good receivers, there were certain ways where you would say, ‘Hey, let’s make sure we (pass him the ball) in the opening script.'”

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The numbers, however, don’t suggest there is a correlation between early targets and overall production for Jeudy. After all, his forgettable game against the Chiefs came when he had a season-high three first-quarter targets (two catches, one yard). Wilson had thrown the ball Jeudy’s way only once in the first quarter during each of his previous four games. For his career, Jeudy has averaged 3.7 receptions and 54.7 yards during the 29 games in which he has been targeted fewer than twice in the opening period, according to TruMedia. The numbers are virtually identical to the 17 games in which he was targeted at least twice in the first quarter: 4.1 catches for 54.8 yards.

A more meaningful fix, as Payton has hinted this week, could be inserting Jeudy in more personnel groups that have him playing on the outside of the formation. Jeudy has run 113 of his 157 routes this season out of the slot, according to TruMedia, a 72 percent share. Part of Jeudy’s breakout toward the end of last season coincided with him being featured more consistently as an outside receiver. During the final six games of 2022 — again, the best stretch of Jeudy’s career to this point — only 32.4 percent of his routes were coming out of the slot.

Whatever resolution the Broncos reach with Jeudy, be it a trade in the coming days or a tweaked role within Denver’s scheme, it should come with Marvin Mims Jr. firmly in mind. The talented rookie wide receiver has only one target across the past two games, including none in the Week 6 loss to the Chiefs. For a player who is averaging 20.5 yards every time the ball is thrown in his direction and is fully healthy, that’s simply not enough work, no matter the explanation. If that means letting Mims run more routes out of the slot that put him in space in the short and intermediate part of the field, so be it.

“Every time he touches the football, it’s one of these ‘Uh ohs!’ because you know that he can score; he’s got that type of speed,” Wilson said. “Mims has been spectacular. The kickoff return (for a touchdown) he had in Miami. Some of the deep shots he’s caught. He can run all the short routes and all the mid-range stuff, too. We change personnel a lot so it’s getting him in and out and getting him on the field to make plays. He can block, too, so we have all the confidence in him.”

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A pair of fumbles on returns aside — one he lost in the sun in Chicago; another he should have fair caught against the Jets — Mims has demonstrated an electric, game-breaking ability with the ball in his hands. He has averaged 25 yards on his four non-muffed punt returns, none of those touches going for fewer than 12 yards. Among players with at least five kick returns, Mims’ 35.2-yard average is the best in the league, and he’s the only player in the NFL averaging at least 30 yards per return. Putting that speed and play-making ability into the offense more consistently should be a non-starter.

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“He’s dying to break out,” Payton said of Mims, “and part of it is us and me giving him those opportunities.”

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For his part, Jeudy last week said he is not paying attention to the trade rumors that have been attached to him since the offseason and have only heated up amid Denver’s 1-5 start.

“I’m just trying to be where my feet are, you feel me?” Jeudy said.

He addressed it again on Thursday.

“It don’t affect me at all because, at the end of the day, I’m still going to be the player I am. I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of. So trade me or not trade me, it don’t matter because at the end of the day, I’m going to still be me.”

If Jeudy is still in Denver when the calendar flips to November, the Broncos need to have a plan to help him rediscover his form to end 2022 and create a larger role for Mims in the process. If those two goals can’t coincide, it may be time for Denver to give its former first-round pick a fresh start elsewhere.

(Top photo of Jerry Jeudy: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)

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