The Browns’ run game has been a mess, but Jaleel McLaughlin keeps making a case that Cleveland can’t just leave him on the shelf.
The offensive line is still a work in progress, and the Browns have been living in shotgun for almost every snap. That setup has not exactly been friendly to a steady ground attack. Injuries have only made things worse, with Dylan Sampson missing most of the season, Raheim Sanders out and Quinshon Judkins sidelined for his first game of the year with an ankle injury.
Even with all that chaos, McLaughlin has looked comfortable every time he’s gotten a chance. At this point, he has done enough to force his way into a larger role in Todd Monken’s offense.
McLaughlin leads Browns running backs with more than one game played this season in success rate at 54.5 percent. He also tops the group in yards per carry at 6.5. A lot of that damage came on a 28-yard touchdown run, but the bigger point is that he has brought the kind of lateral burst and quick twitch Cleveland has been missing.
That matters because Sampson is close to returning and brings the most explosiveness on the roster. He is not built to be a true workhorse, though, and the source material points out that he has never been especially efficient as a runner. He fits better as a passing-game specialist and a third-down option.
Judkins, meanwhile, is still the bruiser in the room. The idea is simple enough: let him soften defenses up, then use McLaughlin and Sampson to punish tired legs with their movement and tempo.
The Browns’ offense still has a long way to go, but there are signs it is moving in the right direction. A better run game would help a quarterback in a big way, and Cleveland may be able to avoid having to lean on another unlikely Deshaun Watson game-winning drive.
Judkins’ production has tailed off since late last season, and sharing more of the load could be exactly what gets him going again.
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Browns Enter A Stretch That Could Define Their Playoff Push
The Browns are heading into a demanding part of the schedule with a trip to Tennessee that opens three straight road games, a stretch that will say plenty about how real their playoff push is. Cleveland has already stumbled away from home this season, going 1-2 on the road, so this run will test whether the team can clean up those issues fast enough to stay in the thick of the postseason race.
Beyond the immediate task of surviving the road swing, there is also a longer view creeping into the picture. Cleveland will soon have to make quarterback roster decisions for the 2026 season, adding another layer to a stretch that already feels consequential. For a team trying to keep its present season on track while planning for what comes next, the next few weeks may carry more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Tackle Is Already Easing One Big Cleveland Fear
The Browns have spent plenty of time trying to solve their left tackle problem, so Spencer Fanos early run has offered a welcome bit of stability. The rookie offensive lineman has already started six games and, despite the usual rookie bumps, has looked capable of handling one of the leagues toughest jobs while holding up well in front of Deshaun Watson.
Pro Football Focus has credited Fano with a 69.3 overall grade, and he has allowed 12 pressures across those six games. For a Cleveland team that has been looking for dependable pass protection, that kind of start is encouraging, even if the broader question of how steady the edge of the line will remain is still part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Carson Schwesinger Is Entering A Much Bigger Conversation
Carson Schwesinger keeps stacking up the kind of games that make a rookie look less like a newcomer and more like a centerpiece. Even while dealing with an ankle sprain against Baltimore, the Browns Defensive Rookie of the Year put together 13 tackles and forced a fumble, adding to a stretch that already included a strip-sack in Week 5 and a season total of 56 tackles through six games.
For Cleveland, the bigger picture is becoming hard to ignore. Schwesingers steady impact has pushed him into a conversation that usually belongs to the leagues most disruptive defenders, and the way he has produced so far has prompted comparisons to past Defensive Player of the Year winners. The question now is less about whether he has been one of the Browns best defensive players and more about how far that level of play can take him over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]