The Cleveland Browns are back at it in organized team activities this week in Barea, after registering their first set of OTA practices last week. And as they come back to the building, it’s worth rehashing the fact that, while much of the discussion has been about the quarterbacks and the location of star edge Myles Garrett, the Browns did get excellent news in that running back Quinshon Judkins was back on the field and looking spry after his nasty injury last December.
Judkins suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle, ending his season in Week 16. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair the damage, and the Browns noted at the time, “The surgery was performed by Head Team Physician, James Voos, MD and George Ochenjele, MD at University Hospitals. A full recovery is expected for the 2026 season with a return to football activity in 4-6 months.”
The assumption was that the Browns would bring Judkins back slowly after he finished his rookie season with 827 yards rushing in 14 games. But less than five months after surgery, he has looked ready and eager to get back on the field.
Quinshon Judkins Is ‘A Battering Ram’
And that’s big for the Browns on a number of fronts, as Cleveland.com beat writer Dan Labbe noted.
Wrote Labbe: “Judkins is on the short list of indispensable players if the Browns are going to overachieve in 2026. It’s not just because of his ability but also the depth at his position.”
He noted that among the reasons for that are that Judkins was, for much of the season, the Browns’ only consistent big-play threat. Five of the Browns’ 16 longest players, Labbe noted, were Judkins plays. And, he also handled the dirty work on a down-by-down basis behind the worst offensive line in the NFL.
He wrote: “Judkins is a battering ram. Even in games where his yards per carry aren’t as high as you’d like, the Browns can keep calling his number. He carried the ball more than 20 times in five games. It wasn’t a matter of protecting leads, either. The Browns actually lost four of those games.”
Browns Depth Is Lacking at RB
But the big issue for Judkins and the Browns is that there really is not much behind him. Labbe was generous to backups Dylan Sampson and Rocket Sanders as role players, but the Browns really should have a true RB2 on the roster, both to take pressure off Judkins and to give the team a real option if he deals with another injury.
Sampson had some memorable plays as a receiver, but as a rusher, he carried the ball 65 times for 127 yards, an anemic 2.7-yard average. Sanders carried 27 times for 92 yards, also an uninspiring average of 3.4 yards per play.
Browns’ Quinshon Judkins ‘Looked Good’
Browns coach Todd Monken, for one, was upbeat about Judkins’ return.
“Looked good didn’t he? Yeah, that was fun too,” he said.
Monken did say Judkins is not 100% yet, but that’s to be expected:
“Looked pretty good to me. Obviously, there’s been a couple of days he gets a little sore, which is normal, but no one works harder. And you talk about a competitive spirit, and we don’t even get to see him run. I think his rare trait is he’s a bull, like refuses to go down and we don’t even get to see that here. So, I’m excited.”
Browns Star’s Injury Return Tabbed ‘Indispensable’