Jerry Jeudy hopes to take off over last eight games like last season

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Any improvement in the Browns’ passing game has to start with Jerry Jeudy.

If there is any glimmer of hope in the 27-20 loss to the Jets, it may be that Jeudy’s dormant second season with the Browns showed signs of life.

Jeudy’s six catches on 12 targets for 78 yards and one touchdown against the Jets stand as his best game of the year. It brought his season numbers to 28 receptions for 335 yards and one TD.

Those are modest stats, for sure, for any team’s No. 1 receiver. But they are remarkably similar to Jeudy’s numbers through nine games last season – 33 receptions for 418 yards and one TD.

And this is the point in the season last year when Jeudy took off. Over the last eight games, he had 57 receptions for 811 yards and three TDs, ultimately breaking the Browns franchise record with 90 receptions for 1,229 yards and four TDs.

Could the Jets game set off Jeudy on a run similar to last season?

“For sure. It has been a long time coming,” he said of his first TD, of 22 yards. “Hopefully we just keep the momentum going.”

One of the obvious differences in coordinator Tommy Rees’ first game as play-caller was the emphasis on getting the ball to Jeudy. He got his first target five plays into the game and was targeted three times on Dillon Gabriel’s 95-yard TD drive on the Browns’ second series.

“It should be an emphasis every week, really,” coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game.

Gabriel said it was “huge” to get Jeudy involved in the offense early.

“You know, you want to give your best players the ball,” Gabriel said. “I say that a lot. But then when you’re able to do it, you see what happens. We want to do that more consistently and create more completions when they’re there. And now you see what Jerry can do.”

A year ago, Jeudy’s resurgence coincided with the promotion of big-armed veteran Jameis Winston to the starting quarterback position.

Gabriel has had difficulty delivering the ball to his wide receivers in his first five NFL starts. But Jeudy, for one, is standing behind the rookie left-hander.

“For sure,” Jeudy said. “Dillon’s a young quarterback. It’s only his first year. This is what, his 4th or 5th game? There’s a lot he has to learn. He comes out here each and every week ready to improve, ready to get better. That’s all you can ask [of] a quarterback. As teammates, you need someone to lean on. We’re here for him.”

Completions, completions

Gabriel’s accuracy – or, inaccuracy – was a lively topic on Wednesday.

Gabriel’s 53.1 completion percentage in the Jets game (17 of 32) was the lowest in his five starts and dropped his overall percentage to 58.6. That ranks 32^nd among quarterbacks this year, a tad lower than Michael Penix’s 58.8 and above only that of the 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward (57.6).

“Any quarterback -- young and old – you’re going to miss throws. It’s an occupational hazard that you’re likely not going to go 100% completion percentage,” said Stefanski. “You’re not going to make every throw. Now, having said that, you coach every throw, and you say, ‘Hey, this could be … use your technique here or trust what you’re seeing here’, all those things. And that’s true of young and old quarterbacks.”

Gabriel’s six-year career mark in college at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon was 65.2. His accuracy his last two season was 69.3 with Oklahoma in 2023 and 72.9 with Oregon in 2024.

“It’s always something you continue to work on and want to get good at,” Gabriel said. “And I think it’s striving for every inch, you know, and being able to catch runners and allow them to get more receiving yards after the catch. So being accurate in that way and then giving guys a chance. So it’s something that you want to pride yourself on, continue to get better at.”

Stefanski defends Gabriel’s seemingly slow progress.

“There are things that I know Dillon can do better and will do better as a young quarterback,” he said. “And I know there are things that we as a staff can do better, and putting our guys in position. So I just think it goes back to, I understand the individual aspect of this, but there’s also the collective aspect of this.”

Brownie bits

Defensive end Alex Wright was the only DNP with a quad injury. Wright was in the midst of his best season in his fourth year with three sacks and nine tackles-for-loss. So it was a little disconcerting to hear Stefanski’s answer when asked if the injury could land Wright on injured reserve. “We’ll see,” he said …

In the last two games, rookie running back Dylan Sampson has usurped play time from Jerome Ford. Sampson has 47 offensive snaps to Ford’s 27 in the complementary role to starter Quinshon Judkins. I asked Stefanski what’s up with that? “We like both players,” Stefanski said. “I think it’s when you get into these games, you’re looking for guys in different roles. Jerome’s a guy we trust, has played really well for us in some third-down situations. Dylan’s a young player that has made plays for us with the ball in his hands. I think we can be better around Dylan Sampson at times. I don’t know that we did a great job on a couple of his runs I’m thinking of particularly in the last game. I think it’s just a matter of what role each guy is playing on a given Sunday.” …

Cornerback Denzel Ward was not happy he was not targeted a single time in the Jets game. New York QB Justin Fields attempted only 11 passes, completing six. “It was kind of boring, for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t say boring, but I didn’t like it. Just trying to find a way to get some action and get into the plays. Seems like they were going away from me a little bit … I don’t feel I’ve been getting as much targets and action as in years past. Definitely much respect. But I’m trying to get in more action.”