Ahead of Chiefs game, a former Denver star rips into a pair of Broncos wide receivers

The Broncos have won just one of their first five games this season, and even that victory left a bad taste in the mouth of at least one Denver player.

During a 31-28 victory at Chicago earlier this month, former Broncos Phillip Lindsay and Rod Smith were critical of the team’s wide receivers in messages shared on X (née Twitter).

That didn’t sit well with current receiver Jerry Jeudy, who clapped back at the former Broncos.

Jeudy responded to Smith by writing: “As a receiver you should know how this football (stuff) go but it was good win doe #controlwhatcancontrol”

And here is what he wrote to Lindsay, who played in the NFL from 2018-22:

As the Broncos prepare to face the Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football,” there were more critical remarks this week from a former player.

While some have lamented the lack of a dominant No. 1 receiver for the Chiefs, the Broncos don’t have one either.

Marvin Mims has a team-leading 246 receiving yards, while Courtland Sutton’s 21 receptions are the most for Denver. Jeudy had just 50 receiving yards in Denver’s loss to the Jets on Sunday, with 23 coming on the Broncos’ final touchdown drive. Sutton had one catch for 13 yards in that game.

Mark Schlereth, who was a Pro Bowl guard when the Broncos won a pair of Super Bowls, this week called out Sutton and Jeudy on a Denver radio station.

“The effort from our starting wide receivers, shame on Jerry Jeudy for even thinking he can utter the name of Rod Smith in his tweets,” Schlereth said. “Shame on you, because you’re not a professional. And you don’t know what effort is. Your quarterback’s under duress, somebody locks you up in man coverage on an underneath route, and to call it trotting would be an insult to trotting. You just quit. You gave up.”

Schlereth said if he was coaching the Broncos, both Jeudy and Sutton would be gone.

“Courtland Sutton not coming back to the ball. Neither of those two guys would play for me. I would cut both of those guys,” Schlereth said. “They would not play. Jerry Jeudy would not be on my team. Jerry Jeudy could not play on the teams I played on if his life depended on it. He’s not tough enough, he’s not focused enough, he’s not good enough, he’s not anything enough.

“He could not play on our teams. Mike Shanahan would cut him tomorrow. I wouldn’t have him on my team. You can have him. And that’s the reason the Broncos stink.”

Jeudy seemed to take the criticism in stride, writing on X: “these old heads be some lame aihh haters”