Broncos rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy showed off his impressive route-running and ability to create separation in his NFL debut on Monday. His two drops overshadowed his moments of strong play, though.
Jeudy caught four passes for 56 yards in a 16-14 defeat and his two drops proved to be costly in a closely contested game.
“He dropped the ball. He’s not the first guy that’s done that, won’t be the last,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after the loss. “We expect him to catch that. He expects himself to catch it. It would have put us in field goal range and given us a first down. But those are the mistakes that can cost you when you’re playing a good team.”
Fans in Denver can probably remember tight end Noah Fant having a case of the drops as a rookie last season. Fant has since improved his catching and he had a big game against the Titans, hauling in five passes for 81 yards and a score. Fant is confident that Jeudy can also clean up his drops.
“Nobody wants drops, but coming from me, I understand it,” Fant said. “I’ve been a rookie, been in that spot before. For me, it’s not really alarming. I think Jerry has all the ability in the world and he’s a very good player for us, so it’s just one of those things that he has to focus in on and lock in on. He has all the ability to catch those balls and I’m sure he’s going to do that.”
Broncos running back Melvin Gordon, who lost a fumble against Tennessee, noted that players will make mistakes but they have to bounce back from them. Gordon responded well after his fumble, finishing the day with 15 rushes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Jeudy needs to have a similar response going forward.
“I made a mistake too and you got to understand that football isn’t a perfect game and mistakes are going to be made and they’re going to happen,” Gordon said. “It’s just part of the game. It is what it is, but the players that really excel is the guys that can get over it the quickest and kind of make up for it.
“That’s what we were trying to coach to him and let him know. It was his first game, but I can promise you he’s pretty hard on himself about the drops, knowing what caliber player he is. He’ll be better for sure.”
Jeudy’s drops were costly but his flashes of brilliance were promising. Broncos fans shouldn’t overreact to just one game — Jeudy has 16 weeks to clean up his drops and become the star WR Denver expects him to be.
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