Trading Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns left a slight hole at wide receiver for the Denver Broncos.
Denver moved to replace Jeudy with a steady presence at wideout for head coach Sean Payton. ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported on March 27 that the Broncos are signing former Detroit Lions WR Josh Reynolds.
According to Schefter, Denver will sign Reynolds to a two-year deal worth $14 million.
Reynolds will join a Broncos’ receiving core that features Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Tim Patrick among others. Sutton led Denver in most receiving categories, yet did not play alongside a reliable No. 2 receiver.
Jeudy failed to gain traction with the Broncos and Patrick has not played since 2021 after suffering back-to-back season-ending injuries.
Reynolds was a steady playmaker for Lions’ quarterback Jared Golf and the Detroit offense. The seven-year veteran had 40 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns on 64 targets in 13 starts last season.
Through 38 games with Detroit from 2021-23, the Texas A&M product caught 97 passes for 1,393 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Despite losing Jeudy to the Browns, Payton and the Broncos gained a reliable receiver ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Josh Reynolds Got His Start in Hollywood Before Finding his Footing With the Lions
Long before Reynolds found his footing in Detroit, he got his start in Hollywood with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams selected Reynolds in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. Through his first four seasons with the Rams, Reynolds had 113 receptions on 201 targets with 1,450 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
He set career highs in starts (13), receptions (52) and receiving yards (618) in 2020, his last in Los Angeles. In March 2021, the former Aggie signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Reynolds played in just five games with the Titans before Tennessee released him in November that season.
The Lions claimed him immediately and Reynolds was reunited with Goff, his Rams teammate from 2017-20. Both players got revenge on their old team in a 24-23 win over the Rams in last year’s Wild Card Round.
Goff completed 22-of-27 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown, while Reynolds finished with 80 yards on five receptions.
If Reynolds can perform as he did with Goff on the Rams and Lions, Denver will be in excellent shape at the position moving forward.
How Will Josh Reynolds Fit Into the Broncos’ Offense?
Reynolds is a promising addition to the Broncos’ offense and adds much-needed juice to the unit.
Nick Kosmider of The Athletic expects Reynolds “could immediately step in as Denver’s No. 2 wide receiver.”
“In Reynolds, the Broncos have added a consistent, sure-handed receiver — despite his drops in the NFC Championship Game, he dropped only three passes during the regular season in 2023 — who can operate out of the slot. He should give Denver a catch-and-run threat in the middle of the field,” Kosmider wrote in his March 27 article.
Kosmider believes Reynolds will provide the Broncos flexibility in the 2024 NFL draft.
“Signing Reynolds will not preclude the Broncos from taking a wide receiver in the NFL Draft, but his arrival gives the Broncos a full room and could give the team flexibility to focus on other long-term needs with their eight current selections,” Kosmider wrote.
Under Payton, Jeudy never emerged as a reliable target on offense. Reynolds will likely fill the void Jeudy left and provide Sutton with a suitable complement in the passing game.
