THE DROP CRISIS: INSIDE JERRY JEUDY’S SHOCKING 18.8% DROP RATE DURING THE 2025 SEASON
Is Jerry Jeudy the problem? Analyse the Browns' 2026 offseason strategy, Shedeur Sanders’ future, and new coaching changes.
The Browns kick off their real offseason work next week at the draft combine. That’s when they dive into figuring out who’s actually out there on the free-agent and trade markets and what it’ll take to land some real upgrades.
Fixing the offence sits at the top of the to-do list. And sure, that starts with making a call at quarterback because it’s always about the quarterback in Cleveland. But honestly, the problems run deeper than just who lines up under centre. Shedeur Sanders, the guy with the job last year, probably got a raw deal. He played behind an offensive line held together with duct tape, lost his star running back Quinshon Judkins to a season-ending injury, and threw to receivers who were either too green or just didn’t seem to care.
Jerry Jeudy stands out among that last group. The Browns brought him in from Denver, paid him a fat three-year, $52.5 million contract, and watched him put up 1,229 yards in 2024. Then, in 2025, his game just collapsed. The effort and discipline disappeared.
The Browns can’t just cut Jeudy loose right now, so the hope is they can straighten him out and get him back to what he was; even a little closer to that would go a long way, no matter who wins the quarterback job.
That job fixing Jeudy falls to the new wide receivers coach, Christian Jones. Dan Labbe at Cleveland.com pointed out that Jeudy’s 12 drops and that ugly 18.8% drop rate last year don’t match up with the rest of his career. Maybe 2024 was the real Jeudy, and 2025 was just a bad year. Either way, Jones has to figure out what went wrong and fix it.
Jones isn’t new to the Browns. He started as the tight ends coach last year, then Todd Monken moved him over to receivers, a rare move, considering most of the offensive staff turned over. Jones worked with the Giants as a quarterbacks coach for the last couple of years, and before that, he helped coach receivers in Minnesota. He knows what it looks like when guys like Justin Jefferson or Adam Thielen are locked in.
The Browns don’t need another Jefferson, though adding some new blood at receiver is almost a sure thing in this draft. They’ve got young guys, Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley, and Gauge Larvadain, brought in last year, and Jones will have to get them ready. Still, it starts at the top. They need Jeudy to show up, play hard, and set the tone. If he doesn’t, none of the other moves will matter much.
CHRIS WEIDMAN DELIVERS HARSH REALITY CHECK AHEAD OF CONOR MCGREGOR’S POTENTIAL RETURN
Chris Weidman warns McGregor of the mental and physical challenges of returning from a leg break ahead of a rumoured UFC 329 comeback.
Chris Weidman has quite a unique perspective when it comes to broken legs.
Not only has he been on the receiving end, but he’s also dealt them out himself. That experience shapes his expectations for Conor McGregor as the former two-division UFC champ prepares for a comeback, rumoured to be at UFC 329 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas this summer.
“He’s currently in the drug-testing pool,” Weidman mentioned on UFC on Paramount’s YouTube channel. “If you’re coming off a break, re-entering that pool, it makes sense to fight. Otherwise, you risk feeling worse than before for no real reason. So yeah, I think he’ll be fighting. The leg break happened in 2021, so there’s been some time to heal, but I will say this: the first fight back, and I speak from a similar injury, it’s tough to be the guy you used to be.”
Weidman’s leg snapped in two at UFC 261 in April 2021, just a few months before McGregor suffered a similar injury at UFC 264. Now 41, Weidman made a comeback in 2023, fought three more times, and then retired, though he later tried to work with some other fighters.
McGregor, who is 37, hasn’t competed since breaking his leg, despite rattling off a few more injuries along the way.
“I hope things go well for him,” Weidman said. “When I was in camp, throwing kicks aggressively to get comfortable again, I felt fine. But in my first fight back, after taking kicks, when it came time to throw a kick in return, which was instinctive before, my body just wouldn’t let me. When you go through something traumatic like that, it really messes with your mind.”
As a reminder, McGregor is 22-6 and last fought in back-to-back defeats to longtime rival Dustin Poirier.
WHY TIMBERWOLVES' JULIUS RANDLE IS MAKING NIKOLA JOKIC’S LIFE DIFFICULT THIS SERIES
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets head to Minnesota tied 1-1. We analyse the shooting woes, defensive battles, and Game 3 predictions.
Nikola Jokic faced a variety of defensive looks during the first two games of Denver’s opening-round series against Minnesota.
One moment that stuck out was captured in a video on X, showing Jokic absorbing repeated pokes to his torso from Timberwolves forward Julius Randle while trying to post him up.
Despite the physicality of Jokic taking some pretty hard pokes, he managed to stay composed. It’s hard not to question the referees’ decisions, though, especially since no fouls were called on that sequence. The Timberwolves ended the game with 30 fouls called against them, whereas the Nuggets had only 24.
In Game 2, Jokic shot 8-for-20 from the field, ending with 24 points, 15 boards, and eight assists, plus a flawless 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
On the defensive side, Jokic gave credit to Rudy Gobert for his strong showing against him in Game 2. While many struggled to contain Jokic, Gobert seemed to turn it into a fairly straightforward task, forcing the three-time MVP into difficult shots throughout.
Jokic praised Gobert’s defence, describing him as a “big log” who can reach the ball from almost any angle, making his presence felt everywhere on the court. Jokic also mentioned how Gobert’s defence extended all the way to the three-point line, which was evident since Jokic made just one out of seven attempts from beyond the arc.
It’s worth noting that Gobert’s solid defensive game came on a day when he was overlooked for Defensive Player of the Year honours, finishing fourth behind the likes of Victor Wembanyama and others.
For most of the second half, Gobert dealt with foul trouble, leading Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid to rotate on guarding Jokic, each with varying degrees of success.
In the end, Minnesota managed to close out the game, with Jokic unable to find his rhythm late, missing his usual floaters, which kept the series tied heading into Game 3.
Now, with the win under their belt, the Timberwolves head back to Minnesota carrying some momentum as the series shifts back home for Games 3 and 4.
The next chapter kicks off on Thursday, April 26, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, live on Amazon Prime. The Target Centre is expected to be rocking, with a passionate crowd eager to see how the battle unfolds.
