"Is Denver tanking?": Jerry Jeudy's trade to Deshaun Watson's Browns sees NFL fans question Broncos' motives

According to Ian Rapoport, the Denver Broncos traded Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a fifth-round selection and a sixth-round selection.

Even though Jeudy has had injuries and inconsistent play throughout his time with the Broncos, he is still only 24 years old and shows good promise. The Broncos are continuing to horde draft picks in an attempt to rebuild their squad, while the Browns are acquiring a young receiver with a ton of potential.

However, some fans questioned whether the Denver club is intentionally tanking to obtain top-selection picks in the 2025 draft.

"Is Denver tanking? Sean Payton came out of retirement to win 12 games in two years? OUCH" - one fan said.

Here are some more posts from X (Twitter) from supporters who believe the Broncos are purposefully not trying to win games:

As wide receiver Jerry Jeudy approaches the last year of his rookie deal, the Broncos traded him to Deshaun Watson's Browns, giving up on their prior requests for a first-round choice.

Although the Broncos' desire to make smart roster changes in light of past personnel mistakes is reflected in the deal, some supporters appear to believe the franchise is deliberately working to ruin its 2024 season to obtain high draft picks in 2025.

Could the Broncos really be tanking?

Though the Denver outfit has seen inconsistent quarterback play over the past four seasons, Jerry Jeudy, who was originally taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, has been a dependable member of the Broncos' passing offense.

Broncos fans believe Jeudy can help improve a passing attack and find it nearly unfathomable that the team will allow him to go for draft picks, even if he has not proven to be as productive as other fifth-year receivers like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.

At this point, the main assumptions put up by the fan base regarding the Broncos purposely tanking aren't all that outlandish.

It might appear like Sean Payton is not concerned about winning football games right now with these roster decisions. The notion that the Broncos have already punted on the upcoming season will likely gain more support depending on what they do in the next few weeks.