Broncos best receiver carted off the field at joint practice

The Denver Broncos receivers room is having a tough preseason with injuries and Thursday may have been the worst break yet.

Russell Wilson’s top target, Jerry Jeudy, left the joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on a cart.

According to Denver Sports’ Andrew Mason and DMac, Jeudy’s hamstring caused the issue.

Jeudy leaves the cart and is helped back inside the building.

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 24, 2023

Jeudy, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, finally started to bust out in the second half of 2023. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver went for 65 or more yards in five of Denver’s final six games and seemed to establish a strong connection with Wilson.

Jeudy caught 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns last season. He led the Broncos in all three of those stats, with only Courtland Sutton being targeted more than the former Alabama receiver.

Between Jeudy, Sutton, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler and Greg Dulcich, the Broncos were supposed to have a wide array of options for Wilson. The 34-year-old quarterback is coming off his worst season in his 11-year pro career and sadly the plan won’t play out. Jeudy is injured, Patrick has been lost for the year, Hamler has been cut after getting hurt and Dulcich has fallen to No. 2 on the depth chart.

The Broncos have already picked up the fifth-year option worth nearly $13 million on Jeudy for next season, meaning he’ll be a free agent post-2024. Still, the 24-year-old’s break-out campaign is on hold for now. And Denver may be circling the wagons looking for help at receiver if Jeudy’s injury is serious.

Sean Payton said Jeudy will undergo an MRI on his hamstring. While there is not update on his injury severity right now, he did say, “hopefully it’s not anything long-term.”

Without Jeudy and Patrick and without hitting the market, Denver will use a lot of youngster Brandon Johnson and rookie Marvin Mims Jr. and that’s because depth receiver Jalen Virgil also is lost for the season.

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