The New England Patriots now should have one fewer competitor in the Jerry Jeudy sweepstakes.
The Cleveland Browns, who had been rumored as a possible trade destination for the Denver Broncos receiver, instead acquired a different wideout Wednesday, reportedly swinging a trade with the New York Jets for Elijah Moore.
The Browns reportedly sent their second-round pick in next month’s NFL draft (No. 42 overall) to the Jets in exchange for Moore and a third-rounder (No. 74). That means they now own zero picks in the first or second round, which, given Denver’s reported asking price for Jeudy, likely puts them out of the running for him.
It’s unclear whether the Patriots, whom multiple outlets have linked to the Broncos receiver, still are planning a Jeudy pursuit after signing wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and receiving-focused tight end Mike Gesicki last week. But the pool of potential landing spots for the 2020 first-round pick seemingly has shrunk following the Moore trade and the Dallas Cowboys’ deal for Brandin Cooks over the weekend.
The Broncos also could simply keep Jeudy, who’s coming off a career year (67 catches, 972 yards, six touchdowns) in an awful Denver offense.
Beyond Jeudy, the Patriots also have been connected to trade candidate DeAndre Hopkins and free agent Odell Beckham Jr. Their current pass-catching corps features Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton at receiver and Gesicki and Hunter Henry at tight end, plus 2022 practice squadders Lynn Bowden, Tre Nixon, Matt Sokol and Scotty Washington.
For the Jets, who reportedly signed ex-Kansas City Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman before shipping Moore to Cleveland, Wednesday’s move could be a precursor to the team finally acquiring Aaron Rodgers, as it gives them another early-round draft pick to potentially include in that trade package.
