11-08-2025
Jerry Jeudy wants to be 'helping hand' for Browns' youthful wide receiver group
BEREA — Jerry Jeudy is only 26 years old. Even for an NFL wide receiver, that's far from being old.
For a Browns' wide receiver, though, it's practically worth of getting an AARP card.
Jeudy, the sixth-year pro, is one of only three wide receivers on the Browns' roster who have played at least five years in the league. DeAndre Carter in entering his eighth season, while Diontae Johnson's going into his seventh.
The rest of the group all are either entering their third year or less. That includes five rookies and a 26-year-old (Kaden Davis) who had one game of NFL experience.
"I do the best I can to respond and answer the questions that the young guys need help with," Jeudy said after the Browns' fourth training camp practice July 26. "I'm always a helping hand to all the younger guys, to the guys that, even the old vets that come and ask me questions about how I run certain routes and how I do this. I'm always doing whatever to help the team grow and get better."
There may be worse players for the younger Browns wide receivers to look up to than Jeudy, the former Denver Broncos 2020 first-round pick out of the University of Alabama. His own journey was not the cleanest path, for a variety of reasons, before he was acquired by Cleveland in March, 2024.
After four up-and-down seasons in Denver, he was traded to the Browns and immediately given a three-year extension. He rewarded that show of faith with a single-season team record 91 receptions that led to his first 1,000-yard receiving season (1,229 yards) and his first Pro Bowl berth.
The next step, though, may be the biggest one for Jeudy. It's about showing consistency in performance and, in the case of his standing in the wide receiver room, leadership.
'Jerry's done a great job, obviously, on the heels of a really successful first season, but he's had a very good offseason," coach Kevin Stefanski said Saturday. "He was healthy, practicing, and has a very good understanding now of our system, our scheme, how he fits in. I've mentioned this before, Jerry's very intelligent, so there's no shortage of where you can line him up, what you can move him around to do.
"So, I've been really pleased with all the things that Jerry's doing. I think to the earlier question, I think he's taking on a leadership role as well now that he's in whatever year this is for him. And it's a younger receiving room, so I think he can provide leadership to those guys as well.'
There's always the questions about how much a veteran has to be an active mentor to the younger ones. It's one that has been thrown at quarterback Joe Flacco repeatedly over the last couple of seasons, both in Cleveland and with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, one which he views as a "no-win" question regardless of how the veteran answers it.
Jeudy's never quite been in this spot since he came into the NFL. Amari Cooper was still with the Browns when he arrived in 2024, and he was one of the younger wide receivers while he was in Denver.
So does Jeudy have any issues with taking on a mentorship role now?
"Nah, I just like to help guys," Jeudy said. "If you feel like they could add a little niche to their game to get better, I'm happy to be that guy to just to inform them, do this a little bit better, do this, you cause a little bit more separation. I'm just here to help any way possible to make the team better."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@ Read more about the Browns at Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jerry Jeudy embracing being 'helping hand' for young Browns receivers
