The Giants created a bit of cap space by sending Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs. They are believed to be looking to another AFC West team for help at this position.
Jerry Jeudy is on the Giants’ radar, according to Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, who notes the team is interested in the third-year wide receiver — a player who spent his freshman season at Alabama working with Brian Daboll. League buzz is indeed pointing to a Giants Jeudy run, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post writes. The Broncos have made Jeudy available, but with the former first-round pick signed through 2023 and able to be kept through 2024 on his rookie deal, the struggling team has a big-picture decision to make ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.
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The Broncos will hold out for a high return, according to Denver7’s Troy Renck. That return could be a second-round pick or multiple selections, an NFL exec told The Athletic’s Dan Duggan (subscription required). The Giants have their own first-, second- and third-round picks in 2023 and now have a Chiefs compensatory selection in Round 3.
If the Broncos do end up trading Jeudy, the return will certainly be interesting. As the prospect of the Broncos acquiring Aaron Rodgers loomed for nearly a year, Renck adds the Packers eyed Jeudy in a prospective trade. The Packers have been linked to a wide receiver move for a bit now. Multiple offers will obviously lead to a better market for the Broncos.
Jeudy did not break out at Alabama until his sophomore season, after Daboll had left for Buffalo. Jeudy’s freshman campaign with Daboll, the Tide’s OC during an Alabama national championship season, centered around Jalen Hurts‘ rushing abilities. Calvin Ridley worked as the powerhouse’s No. 1 target that year.
Denver used the No. 15 overall pick in 2020 to select Jeudy but has not seen consistency from the ex-Crimson Tide standout. Of course, the Broncos have gone through several quarterbacks and two offensive systems since drafting Jeudy, undoubtedly affecting his development. The team will need to weigh Jeudy’s potential long-term impact with Russell Wilson against the offers it receives ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
Toney may have flashed more after the catch, but he has been seldom available since being last year’s No. 20 overall choice. Jeudy, 23, has shown plus route-running skills and has settled in as Denver’s No. 2 wideout behind Courtland Sutton. Jeudy led the 2020 Broncos in receiving (856 yards) and has 24 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns this year. Jeudy has also battled injuries, most notably the high ankle sprain that sidelined him for a chunk of last season. After a productive debut against the Giants (six receptions, 72 yards), Jeudy missed the next six games and finished last season without a touchdown.
No Giant receiver has topped 200 yards yet, as the team has reached the 6-1 mark without wideout consistency. The team was eyeing receiver help early this season, when the bulk of its top contributors were down. New York has since lost Sterling Shepard for the season and seen Kenny Golladay suffer an MCL sprain. Tied to a four-year contract worth $72MM, Golladay came up in trades earlier this year. Even with the Giants willing to eat some of his 2022 money, no team budged on a player who has been one of the bigger free agency busts in recent years. The team shopped Darius Slayton all offseason, one that saw his stock drop and a pay cut ensue, but Daboll’s club has since turned to the former fifth-round pick as a key target for Daniel Jones.
Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson profile as Big Blue’s top receivers. Jeudy, who has seen extensive time in the slot and outside, would help fill a need for the Giants. With Toney gone, Slayton and Shepard in a contract years and Golladay a cap casualty-in-waiting, receiver will be one of the team’s top needs in 2023. While Jones and Saquon Barkley‘s contract-year statuses bring bigger questions for the resurgent team, its receiver situation will need addressing.