Jerry Jeudy’s role might be the most interesting chess piece in the Browns’ passing game right now.
Cleveland brought in Todd Monken as its new head coach, and that change came with a bonus veteran minicamp in April under the NFL’s offseason training rules. The Browns held it during draft week, wrapping up on the same day the franchise added first-round picks Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion.
Jeudy, the team’s top receiver, didn’t take part in that voluntary session. For a player coming off one of the least productive seasons of his career, and with Monken getting his first look at the passing group, it stood out. The Browns then added Denzel Boston on Day 2 of the draft, which only made the decision look more notable.
Since then, Jeudy has been around the quarterbacks. He’s worked with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders and fully participated in the team’s voluntary spring OTAs. During the draft, GM Andrew Berry called Jeudy the team’s “bell cow,” but how that translates in a receiver room now featuring Concepcion, Boston and the rising Isaiah Bond is still up in the air.
One possible answer came from Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, who suggested the Browns should move Jeudy inside and make him their primary slot receiver rather than talk about a trade.
"As a collegian at Alabama, Jeudy lined up mostly in the slot and racked up over 1,100 receiving yards in back-to-back terms. The Browns should feature him in the same way this year,” Moton wrote.
“In six campaigns as a pro, Jeudy has split time between the inside and outside receiver positions. Though aside from his 2024 Pro Bowl season, he's been mediocre at best with his receiving numbers yo-yoing from year to year.
Perhaps a dedicated role out of the slot is best for his production.”
That idea makes sense when you look at what happened last season. Jeudy’s production dipped, and drops plus shaky chemistry with rookie quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel were big reasons why.
His usage inside also cratered in 2025. Per Pro Football Focus, Jeudy lined up in the slot on just 18.6 percent of his snaps, a career low by a wide margin. He hadn’t been below a 35-percent slot share since his rookie year with Denver in 2020.
Part of that came from the way the Browns used other pieces. Harold Fannin Jr. lined up as a slot receiver on 41.4 percent of his snaps, according to PFF, and Bond also worked inside, especially early in the season. Still, the Browns never really made the kind of adjustment that might have helped Jeudy get rolling, and that’s part of why fans were glad to see Kevin Stefanski move on for Atlanta this offseason.
Monken could be the coach who changes that. Bond looked more like a downfield boundary threat later in the season, Boston projects as a classic outside “X” receiver, and Concepcion profiles as a Zay Flowers-type flanker who can move around the formation.
That gives Cleveland something it didn’t really have in 2025: options. A full-time slot job for Jeudy feels unlikely, but getting him closer to his career average of 41.1 percent slot usage could matter a lot. If the Browns find the right balance, Jeudy should still be right in the middle of the passing attack in 2026.
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