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Jerry Jeudy #3 of the Cleveland Browns looks on against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns will open the NFL offseason in earnest at next week’s draft Combine, where they will begin the work of figuring out who and what might be available on the NFL’s free-agent and trade markets, and what it might cost them to make improvements.
No doubt, fixing the offense is No. 1 on the list, and while that starts with making a decision at quarterback–it’s always the quarterback with the Browns–the issue goes beyond just who’s under center. Indeed, it is probably unfair to size up incumbent quarterback Shedeur Sanders‘ performance from last year, given that he was playing behind a beat-up and undermanned offensive line, with star back Quinshon Judkins going out with a season=ending injury and with a crew of receivers that was either inexperienced or flat-out uninterested in doing their jobs.
Chief among those in the second category was star Jerry Jeudy, acquired from the Broncos the previous year and given a hefty three-year, $52.5 million contract. Jeudy rewarded the Browns with a 1,229-yard season in 2024. But he fell apart in 2025, showing a distinct lack of effort and discipline.
Jerry Jeudy’s Performance Fell Apart in 2025
The Browns can’t get rid of Jeudy now, but the hope is that they can rehabilitate him and get him back on track, which would significantly help Sanders or whomever wins up as the QB1 in Cleveland.
And new wide receiver coach Christian Jones might be the guy to do it. At Cleveland.com, anaylst and reporter Dan Labbe pointed out that Jeudy’s 12 drops last year were an anomaly, and his 18.8% drop rate is just out of character in his career.
“Maybe the version of Jeudy we saw in 2024 was an outlier, but it’s hard to believe the version we saw in 2025 is going to be what he is for the remainder of his time with the Browns,” Labbe writes. “One of the top priorities of new wide receivers coach Christian Jones will be to get to the root of what caused Jeudy’s issues last season.”
Browns New WR Coach Facing Big Challenge
Jones joined the Browns last season as a tight ends coach, but was moved to receivers coach by Todd Monken, one of the few offensive coaches the team retained after hiring Monken. Jones had been an offensive assistant with the Giants, serving his last two years in New York as a quarterbacks coach.
Before that, though, he was an assistant receivers coach with the Vikings, where he worked with stars like Justin Jefferson and Adam Theilen.
The Browns do not need a second coming of Jefferson, though they’re likely to add to their wide receiver crew in the coming weeks. As badly as the Browns need defensive help, it will be a deep draft in April when it comes to receivers.
There are young players, too, for Jones to develop–Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley and Gage Larvadain were all brought in last year. But they’ll need better performance from the top, and that means Jeudy.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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