NFL Makes Final Decision on Punishing Browns WR Jerry Jeudy
The NFL has decided to fine Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for his actions against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.
Jeudy got into a tussle with Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the first quarter. The Browns’ top wide receiver was assessed a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.
After reviewing the play, the NFL assessed Jeudy a $12,172 fine for his action. It’s the second time Jeudy has been fined this season. He was hit with a $11,593 penalty for taunting against the Bengals in Week 1.
The NFL also fined Browns tight end David Njoku $14,491 for an obscene gesture.
Browns on Jerry Jeudy’s Penalty: ‘We Can’t Do That’
Jeudy’s penalty derailed the Browns’ opening drive and set a rough tone for the rivalry matchup.
“Jerry’s a leader for us,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I think he was a retaliation-type thing and we preach that. We teach that. We can’t do that. And those are real yards that are hard to overcome, so we have to be better. Again, it gets to the point of need to make sure you’re playing clean, then give yourself a chance. It’s hard when you make life harder on yourself.”
Jeudy also took accountability for his actions.
“I can’t be having no personal penalties, that’s going to hurt my team,” Jeudy said after the game. “Set my team back 15 yards, I can’t be doing that. I got to be better on that. And I will be better on that.”
On the other side of things, Porter said his plan was to bait Jeudy into some flags with trash talk.
“That’s my game plan. I like to trash-talk, so any opportunity to get under a guy’s skin, I’m going to do it,” Porter said. “I feel like it was working. I know he knows it was working. So I’m going to keep doing that every time, especially when I see him again.”
Browns Looking to Get Jerry Jeudy More Involved
Jeudy is coming off a Pro Bowl season but has been unable to replicate his production. Through six games he has just 20 catches for 240 yards. He’s yet to find the end zone.
“Jerry wants to provide for this football team in any way he can,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, he’s a leader – we put a lot on his plate, we ask him to do a lot. So, he just needs to do what he’s capable of doing. I’ve seen it many, many times.”
Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who will make his third start on Sunday against the Dolphins, is focused on getting his top pass-catcher on track.
“I think Jerry (Jeudy is) hardest on himself and wants to play at a level for us as a team, but also, himself as well, but I don’t think that’s ever going to stop our approach,” Gabriel said. “We believe in Jerry. Jerry believes in himself, and I think we’re going to just continue to work at it. We’ve got it. It’s one of those things you have to work your way through. I don’t want to keep sounding mundane and saying the same thing, but it starts with me and being able to help that connection.”
The Browns are a slight 1.5-point favorite at home against the Dolphins.
Chiefs may have just unlocked their final form with Rashee Rice back
Rashee Rice has never lacked talent. A second-round pick in 2023, Rice entered the NFL with the résumé of a blue-chip wide receiver.
At SMU he was absurdly productive, logging over 3,100 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns across his college career, including a monstrous 96-catch, 1,355-yard senior season that made him one of the most efficient target hogs in the nation.
Scouts raved about his size, strength through contact, and alpha mentality at the catch point. He wasn’t just a finesse receiver; he was a bully with the ball in his hands.
But Rice’s pre-draft process came with unfortunate warnings. NFL teams were aware of maturity questions and, unfortunately, those concerns have resurfaced during his time in the league.
Rashee Rice is the final piece in what looks like a truly elite offense on paper for the Chiefs.
His off-field situation has clouded what should be one of the most exciting early trajectories of any young wideout in football. Because when he’s actually between the lines? He looks like a star.
Rice has only played 20 games in his NFL career, yet he’s already racked up 103 receptions for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns. That’s production that typically takes young receivers two full seasons to reach, and Rice did it while splitting reps in a constantly shifting Kansas City receiving rotation.
He played just four games in 2024, but now he returns to an offense that looks deeper and faster than ever with his skillset in the fold.
Patrick Mahomes still pulls the strings. Travis Kelce remains one of the most dynamic tight ends in league history. The Chiefs have a trio of burners in Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Tyquan Thornton to inject explosiveness at all three levels. That combination of vertical speed and veteran savvy already gives defensive coordinators nightmares.
And now they’re adding back Rice, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound powerhouse who plays like he’s 230.
What makes Rice so valuable in the offensive structure is how distinctly different he is from the rest of the receiving corps.
Worthy and Brown win with acceleration and separation. Kelce wins with instincts, leverage, and timing. Rice wins with violence. He’s a post-catch terror who breaks arm tackles like they’re suggestions. He’s fearless working the middle of the field. He plays above the rim in the red zone.
When Mahomes needs someone to body up a corner on 3rd-and-7 or snag a back-shoulder fade, there’s no one better on the roster than Rice.
Even if head coach Andy Reid elects to ease him back in with a pitch count, limited snaps for Rice can still be impact snaps. Think high-leverage situations: third downs, red zone isos, manufactured screens where he gets to be a running back in space. He’s been opportunistic at turning shallow targets into chunk gains, and with defenses now forced to defend Worthy 40 yards downfield and Kelce on every scramble drill, Rice has, and should, feast on favorable matchups.
There’s a reality where Rice’s off-field issues derail what should be a special NFL career. But there’s also a reality—one the Chiefs are banking on—where he gets back on track and becomes the tone-setter of this receiving room, especially with Kelce on the backend of his career.
Mahomes has already built chemistry with him. He’s already earned trust in traffic. He’s already shown he can be the guy when the lights are brightest. If Rice stays on the field, he’s not just another weapon for Kansas City. He’s the missing piece that unlocks the offense’s final form.
