The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-1 through six weeks but have yet to look like the team that won the Super Bowl last season, especially offensively, though there have been flashes.
Those flashes have been too far and few between to count on, though, leading ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano to suggest the Chiefs explore this trade for Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Insider Suggests Chiefs Target Broncos’ Jerry Jeudy in Trade
Chiefs get:
– Jerry Jeudy
Broncos get:
– Third-round pick
“The Broncos need picks, and Jeudy might need a change of scenery,” Graziano wrote on October 18. “He has a more complete skill set than Marquez Valdes-Scantling and more experience than the Chiefs’ other wideouts. Kansas City seems to need someone who can threaten a defense down the field while Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore and Justyn Ross work their way into their roles.
“How realistic is it? The Broncos might not want to deal him in the division, and his nearly $13 million guaranteed salary for 2024 might be an issue for the Chiefs. But it’s more likely than Davante Adams, I would think, and at some point the Broncos are going to start moving some veterans for picks.”
Kansas City’s leading wide receiver through six weeks is rookie Rashee Rice.
Rashee Rice Leading Chiefs’ Uninspiring WR Group
Rice is coming off a four-reception, 72-yard performance in Week 6. He has 21 receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 28 targets so far this season.
That is just three more targets and four more receptions than the next closest wideout, Kadarius Toney, but he has just 92 yards to this point. The good news is that Toney has seemingly put his issues with drops from the season opener behind him. And there is a belief that Rice’s role will only continue to grow.
The rookie made a big play on third down to help us ice the Broncos win in the final minutes 🍚 pic.twitter.com/111OBGYEYa
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 16, 2023
The bad news is that relying on a rookie receiver is not typically a recipe for success.
Jeudy is a former first-round pick, selected N0. 15 overall in 2020. Amid the Broncos’ struggles, Jeudy has surpassed 52 yards just once in five games. He caught three of five targets for 14 yards in Denvers’ loss to the Chiefs this past week on Thursday Night Football. But Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is not Patrick Mahomes. It is fair to think that Mahomes may be able to get more out of the once highly-touted pass-catcher who has come under fire recently.
Jerry Jeudy Doesn’t ‘F*** With’ Steve Smith Sr.
Jeudy got into a very public dispute with retired former Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who called the Broncos playmaker “just a guy” on his podcast. The 24-year-old Jeudy responded by telling Smith “I don’t f*** with you,” ahead of Thursday’s matchup. Smith Sr. let Jeudy have it again at that point.
“When teams call me, asking should they trade for you, I will say, ‘No, do not trade for Jerry Jeudy,'” Smith said. “‘Because he is mentally unable to handle constructive criticism from people who watch, specifically, can he be a wide receiver?'”
.@SteveSmithSr89 tells it like it is 🗣️
Sound up for this one 🔊@MikeGarafolo | @RealMikeRob | @BuckyBrooks | @RhettNFL pic.twitter.com/xc7d2uKljh
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) October 12, 2023
Smith’s were not the only feathers Jeudy ruffled by his response to criticism, either. He and fellow wideout Courtland Sutton drew the ire of Super Bowl Bronco, Mark Schlereth.
Schlereth called the duo out for their lack of effort, citing Jeudy’s elicitation of Schlereth’s former teammate, Rod Smith in a tweet during his radio show. Jeudy caught wind of that and expressed his displeasure with “old heads” being “haters” in a post on X. That post in turn drew a response from Schlereth who did not hold back on Jeudy this time either.
“3 for 14,” Schlereth – a 12-year veteran and three-time champion – posted on X after TNF. “love it when a dude who gets challenged by his “old head haters” rises up to the challenge! And yes I’m talking about you @jerryjeudy.”
The Chiefs might want to think twice before considering Graziano’s suggestion.
Main Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
