WR Jerry Jeudy (3.14.24)
Jerry, just wondering, in reading a little bit about your background, how did you first get to know Amari (Cooper)? Was it by being from south Florida? Did you get to know him when you were young, or did you have to wait until you got to Alabama to actually get to know him?
“I actually started watching Amari when I was a freshman in high school, because Alabama was know. I also went to school with Calvin Ridley and Shawn Burgess, and Alabama was recruiting them pretty hard. So going to the recruitment trips and being able to see Amari Cooper put in work and stuff like that and started watching his game. I just started watching him ever since then.”
Hey, Jerry. So to follow up on that, how close have you guys gotten? How excited are you to play with him and then how good do you think he can be for your game?
“I’m excited to play with Coop. Like I said, I’ve been watching for a long time, so me watching him and actually studying him made me become a better player. So now actually being next to him and actually hear his opinions on things, on how to run certain routes is going to help me impact me extremely well. So I’m excited to see how this thing go.”
I talked to him a couple of years ago, and we were talking about route running, and he said you were one of the best in the league. What does that mean coming from a guy who’s considered one of the best in the league?
“It means a lot just knowing how great of a route runner he is and being able for him to just say my name, to be in that conversation, in that group means a lot.”
Hey, Jerry, welcome to Cleveland. Just curious, how can you take your experience in Denver, those four years, and both from a positive standpoint as well as some of the negatives, and how will that help you with joining the Browns and making you a better player as well as a better teammate?
“Yeah, I mean, going to Denver as a rookie, there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know, but being around such a great guys at the facility, they taught me a lot. How to become a pro and how to do certain – how to take care of your body, how to watch film and do certain little things like that. So whatever I learned from the Broncos, I could just take it to the Browns and just be even more of a pro and more professional.”
You know, being on the final year of your rookie deal. Have you talked to the Browns about an extension? Is that something you’re interested in? And how do you approach this upcoming season?
“I want to be somewhere that wants me to be there. I want to be home. I don’t want to be moving around too much and all that. So we’re going to see what happens.”
Hey, Jerry, welcome to Cleveland. To just go back to your time in Denver, I guess, how do you think that it impacted you as a young player? Kind of getting your feet wet in the NFL and having to play with as many different quarterbacks as you had to play with and get used to different styles and things like that?
“You know, it’s pros and cons to it. The pros is being able to learn all different offensive schemes and see what different quarterback they thought process when it comes to certain routes and certain situations. So there’s some pros and cons to it, but it’s always exciting just to be somewhere that’s got a strong…I can’t think of the word I’m looking for, but yeah.”
And then I know you mentioned it in the release, too. This idea of feeling wanted. I guess what about Cleveland so far has been your impression in regards to that. And do you feel like coming here, you have a chance to maybe prove people wrong who have doubted you in the past?
“Yeah, for sure. You know just when I stepped in the building, just the energy and excitement that I received when I got there, that made me feel welcomed. I feel like it’s a fresh start. It’s going to be exciting just to be able to be somewhere new, especially having all the great guys on the team. So it’s just going to make things a lot more easier for me and just better.”
Hey, Jerry, wanted to go back to you talking about watching Coop and kind of learning from him. What’s maybe an aspect of his game that you’ve picked up on that maybe kind of goes under the radar that you’ve tried to add to your game?
“The thing I really watch about Coop is just his releases. How he manipulate defenders off the ball and stuff like that. That’s the biggest thing. Once you beat a guy off the ball, it just routes on air after. That’s mostly what I took from him.”
Have you guys worked a lot together over from even going back to your time at Alabama or before that?
“No, we never had a chance to actually get a workout in with each other. I hit him up about certain things and stuff like that, but yeah. Actually, we didn’t train but I hung out with him pre draft in 2020. So we were just catching up and stuff like that. We ain’t really get to train, but now that we teammates, it’d probably be a lot more easier to do that now.”
Jerry, welcome to Cleveland. Knowing who you are working with, Amari Cooper, Elijah (Moore). What about the skill set that you bring do you think will best complement the wide receivers room and just the offense in general with the Browns?
“I think I’m a guy that could play all three positions, all four positions on the field. The Y, the F, the Z, the X. And I feel like I’m a guy that just can make plays after the catch and just bring YAC and big playmaking ability to the team. And I feel like Cooper and Elijah do the same thing too because I’ve been watching the guys for a long time. I actually played with Elijah, seven on seven team. So it’s just going to be exciting just to be able to have three receivers that all could do the same thing, run after the catch, create separation. So it’s going to be exciting.”
And now that you’re here as a Cleveland Brown, what does the rest of your offseason look like?
“You know, I’m just still training. Most likely catch up with the guys whenever they come up with a schedule to start training together.”
Hey, Jerry, welcome to Cleveland. How much of your game have we seen in the NFL? Like, how much higher is your ceiling, do you think?
“Me personally, my ceiling is very high. I have high expectations for myself. The past few years wasn’t exactly where I want to because different circumstances and stuff like that. I’m here and I’m where my feet at now and I’m a Browns and I’m just ready to be the best version of myself here than I ever was before.”
And how much of kind of reaching the player you think you can be has to do with playing with Deshaun Watson now?
“You know, always having a consistent, great quarterback like Deshaun Watson that knows where to get the ball on timing, put in the right placement. Having a quarterback like that is always going to be good for the receivers, to be the better person for both of themselves.”
Hey, Jerry, do you think you played your best in Denver? And if not, why?
“You know I have high expectations for myself, so I don’t think I played my best because as a football player and as a receiver, there’s a lot of things you got to go through to really be a successful route receiver in the league. Right now I’m just really, just not really dwelling on the past too much. All I could control is the future. So right now I’m just focusing, like I said, just being where my feet are and just focus on to be the best version of myself this upcoming year.”
Can you go into depth on your attitude? Because seemed there was some conflict there in Denver. What is your attitude like now?
“My attitude now is positive and just ready to get to work and show the world like who Jerry Jeudy really is and be able bring a Super Bowl to the team and just consistent win and being a consistent player so that with my head at right now, I just want to be the best version of myself and be on the winning program.”
Hey, Jerry, welcome to Cleveland. First off, I know you said in the statement that the team put out that you had heard the Browns were interested in you previously, like a couple years. When did you first kind of hear of their interest in you and what were your impressions of the Browns then and what are your impressions of the team now?
“When I first heard they were interested was, I think the end of 2021 season, I think, I’m not really too sure. You hear things, but then nothing happens. It’s just all talk. So actually being here now, it shows that how much they really wanted me and how much expectations they have for me, you know, it’s exciting for real.”
And then obviously the Browns went through an OC change this offseason, transition into Ken Dorsey. Just what do you know about him as an offensive coordinator and a play caller? And what are you most excited about working with him?
“It’s crazy, I’ve been watching Ken Dorsey since he was at the University of Miami. I watched a lot of highlights, watch a lot of football and I’m from down that area. So being able to have him as my OC. He was at the Bills with Josh Allen and (Gabe) Davis and them, you know, how that offense went and how that offense looked. It was a great offense. So I’m excited to see how things go this year.”
When the Browns played in Denver in late November, Denver won easily 29 to twelve or something. You didn’t have a very busy game. You only got three targets in that game. What was going on with you in the team and the offense at that time?
“That game I was actually hurt that week. I actually, I pulled my groin a little bit, so I really wasn’t supposed to really be out there. But if I could run just a little bit, I’m go out there and compete the best as I can. So I feel like that’s kind of a little setback there and I just feel like offensive wise, the timing and everything wasn’t just on point throughout the whole year, but basically that’s it. That game, I was kind of hurt, so I really don’t.”
And I’m just curious, what do you think of what happened to Russell Wilson and Sean Payton?
“I feel that choice – Sean and Russ had a conversation about what’s best for the future and I feel like they came to agreement. I really don’t got too much to say about their situation. All I could do is control and worry about mine.”
Hey, Jerry. Just another quick one. I know people always talk about your contested catchability and how good you are in that aspect of the game, so how has that been, especially when you were growing up developing that and did you have to get used to playing with your size?
“To be honest, I feel like that’s something I need to work on, but I’m so used to creating separation, so I already get that much of contested catches situation. I feel like that’s something that I need to work on a little bit more contested catches now because like I said, I’m so used to having five yard separation, nobody on me, catch it run. So now that there’s a lot more better and better players in the league, some passes going to be contested, so you got to make those plays. I feel like that’s something I’m working on now just to be the best version of myself.”
Jerry, just wondering how grateful are you that the Browns put no stock whatsoever into the things that Steve Smith said about you last year? And how wrong was Steve Smith about you with those remarks?
“As a football player and as a coach, you know, who’s a great football player. And like I always say, the eye in the sky don’t lie. You just watch it. You cut on the tape, you cut on the film. Some games I didn’t have my best game, but I could control what I can control. Like I said, you turn on the tape, you turn on the field, and you really can see what I’m capable of doing, even though the stats not really showing what it’s saying, though. But like I said, just turn on the tape, turn on field, you see something totally different.”
And are you so grateful that the Browns just ignored all that, didn’t put any stock into it, and just continue to pursue you?
“Yeah, of course I’m grateful for that. Just because, like I said, they ain’t let one person stop them from knowing the true meaning. Like I said, they understand the game of football. Some people got their opinions on me, and some people think otherwise. I don’t really think that really, it didn’t affect me in no type of way and didn’t affect the Browns. And like I said, I know the Browns didn’t really listen to what Steve Smith had to say. They just had to turn on the tape to see if it’s really true or not. And they turned on the tape and see it wasn’t true what he said.”
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