Steve Smith eviscerates Jerry Jeudy for being 'just a guy' for Broncos

That whole Jerry Jeudy pick hasn't quite worked out like anyone imagined. To be fair to Jerry Jeudy, that's true with almost everything related to the Denver Broncos these days.

The Broncos are currently 1-4 and sitting alone in the AFC West basement. If this remains the case by season's end, it will be the fourth consecutive season in which they will hold that last-place "title". It's been eight years since the Broncos won the division and the Chiefs have taken every AFC West title since then.

The reason for the Broncos misery has, in part, been a string of horrible personnel decisions, especially at the game's most important position. A hilarous carousel of quarterbacks were trotted through for years before the team decided to go all-in on a deal with the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson last year, but that led them straight to... another last place finish.

Steve Smith was already a legend as a player but we love him just as much as analyst.

For his part, Jeudy was a first-round pick out of Alabama at No. 15 overall who was supposed to give the Broncos a well-rounded pass catcher who plays big under the brightest lights. Instead, Jeudy has put up a couple of solid years alongside a forgettable, injury-affected sophomore season heading into his contract year in 2023.

So far this season, Jeudy has 17 catches on 24 targets for 208 yards and zero touchdowns. With the Broncos once again at the bottom of the division, the trade rumors have started churning on another round of Denver's veterans and Jeudy is among those names alongside teammates like Courtland Sutton and Frank Clark.

Heading into the Broncos' visit with the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, NFL analyst and former legendary wide receiver Steve Smith decided to have a moment with Jeudy. In the past, Smith admitted he's been critical of Jeudy and he wanted to make things right after seeing improvement in his game. Here's what he said of the initial interaction.

"A word I’ve used in the past to describe him is a JAG, just a guy. When I saw him, he’s playing well, and I wanted to say to him face to face, ‘I know I said some things in the past that I probably shouldn’t have and I’m sorry.’ That’s what I wanted to say to him."

From there, Smith details the choice words that Jeudy used back to him, even repeating some that were not fit for airing on television, which made it clear that Jeudy wanted no part of Smith in the present hour. That's when Smith decided to push his chips into the center of the table and rake Jeudy over the coals. If you're a Chiefs fan, it doesn't get any better than this.

"So I’ll say it again. I’m sorry I said you were a JAG, just a guy, who was an average wide receiver they used a first-round pick on that isn’t doing anything. I hope today you show up in a way that you haven’t showed up since they drafted you. So if you ever got a problem with Agent 89, I’m sorry for saying that you’re an average wide receiver that they will eventually move on [from] and when teams call me and ask if they should trade for you, I’ll say, ‘No, don’t trade for Jerry Jeudy because he’s mentally unable to handle constructive criticism from people who watch specifically, ‘Caan he be a wide receiver?’ He can be a wide receiver. He’s a tier-three."

Yes, it's gold. Pure gold. You should listen for yourself, and you can see the whole diatribe here. If Smith wasn't already such a legend for his production on the field, we'd revere him for his takes as an analyst.