Former Cowboys trade target is still attractive, but teams keep swiping left

Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy was rumored to join the Cowboys along with a handful of other NFL teams, yet no one has taken the very expensive bait.

The Dallas Cowboys were rumored to trade for quite a few wide receivers this offseason from Odell Beckham Jr. to DeAndre Hopkins, and they ended up swinging for the best-bang-for-their-buck target in Brandin Cooks.

Even the occasionally delusional minds of the Cowboys brass couldn’t justify spending, say, a first-round pick on Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy. Very few franchises would, which is why Jeudy still hasn’t been dealt this offseason.

According to Dov Kleiman, the Broncos’ asking price for Jeudy (as well as fellow wideout Courtland Sutton) remains much too high. Denver was reportedly asking for at least a first-rounder or a high second and a player for Jeudy, yet Jeudy is considered to be too inconsistent for that kind of ransom.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic weighed in on the matter and agreed with Kleiman’s prognosis:

As rival teams analyze Jeudy, they’re seeing a receiver who has missed time each year with injuries and has yet to amass enough production over long, consistent stretches.

In short, Jeudy is just way too expensive for interested suitors, and unless the Broncos lower his price, the former first-round pick probably won’t be going anywhere this offseason.

Cowboys former target Jerry Jeudy continues to loiter on the market

This year’s free agent wide receiver class has been viewed as a solid but not wallet-busting group; compared to last year’s earth-shattering moves involving Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, A.J. Brown, Christian Kirk, and others, this year saw lower-caliber wideouts sign modest and reasonable deals.

Cooks landed in Dallas for a mere fifth and sixth-rounder. Others like Allen Lazard, Jakobi Meyers, and JuJu Smith-Schuster signed deals that were valued much less than those of Hills, Adams, and Browns.

Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins (if he’s traded) have yet to find new teams, but so far, none of the wide receiver contracts signed this year rank in the top 25 at their position in average annual value or guaranteed money, per The Athletic.

It’s slim pickings out there, even slimmer if you’re a wideout on one of the most underperforming offenses of the last several years. Jeudy’s nearly 1,000-yard receiving season in 2022 was overshadowed by Russell Wilson’s frustrating deficiencies, and as much as Jeudy could thrive on a high-powered offense like Dallas, he may have to settle for at least another year playing under an aging quarterback.

For better but more so for worse, Jeudy’s potential is loosely tied to Wilson for the rest of their time in Denver. That one calamitous trade is the curse that keeps on cursing.

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Author: Kristen Wong
March 25, 2023 | 9:08 pm