Jerry Jeudy returns to Denver for a matchup with Patrick Surtain II

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is not upset The Denver Broncos took action him in the offseason. After four seasons with Denver, he wanted a fresh start somewhere else.

But Jeudy would still like to show his old team a thing or two when the Browns play the Broncos on Monday night. To accomplish this, Jeudy figures he has to beat the cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

And not much of that happened this season. In 11 games, Surtain has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 23 of 39 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown to the receivers he covers. He intercepted three passes and limited opposing QBs to a minimum Passing efficiency rating of 47.4 when he throws his way.

“It will be an exciting duel” Jeudy said. “I’ve known Pat since Little League and have competed against him my entire life. Finally get the opportunity to compete against him on this big stage, it will be fun. …

“What makes him special is his intelligence. It’s long. He’s fast. For a big guy, he knows how to get out of his breaks, that’s what makes him special.”

Jeudy and Surtain were teammates at Alabama in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, then teammates again with the Broncos in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“It will be fun” Surtain said. “It’s going to be like the practices we’ve shared here in the past and at Bama, so there’s going to be a lot of good competition. “Of course, given his caliber, I know it’s going to be a great matchup, so I’m excited on it. …

“I think he’ll be thrilled. Obviously this was his former team, so I think he’s going to have a lot of energy, a lot of energy flowing. That’s exactly the type of player he is. He is very competitive and will try to make it. I’m looking forward to the matchup. It’s going to be a great match. I already know the type of person he is, his competitive structure. He’ll be ready.”

After going to the Broncos with the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jeudy had 211 receptions for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four seasons with Denver.

During Jeudy’s four seasons with the Broncos, Denver had three head coaches (plus an interim head coach) and three offensive coordinators.

“It was just a new change every year” Jeudy said about his desire to leave Denver, “and just the amount of games I had during the year last year, and just knowing what kind of player I am, and I just wasn’t happy with how they used me.” I could do a lot more than they expected of me, and I felt limited, so I felt like I had to go somewhere else to really show what I was about .”

Jeudy has 45 receptions for 645 yards and two touchdowns for Cleveland this season.

In the last four games with Jameis Winston As the Browns’ quarterback, Jeudy has 24 receptions for 379 yards and one touchdown. He has had more receiving yards in each of the last four games than he has in any of the seven games with Deshaun Watson as Cleveland’s quarterback.

“Jameis is a great quarterback, just his energy in the locker room, on the field.” Jeudy said. “I just feel like that’s the type of guy you need around you. This is the type of person who motivates everyone around him and keeps everyone on the right path. That’s the type of player you need on the team.”

The Browns and Broncos meet on Monday at 7:15 p.m. CST at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. ESPN will televise the game.

“I didn’t circle it, but I was definitely very excited when I saw it was on the schedule,” Jeudy said of his return to Denver. “It’s here now. Now it’s time to perform.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.