Quinshon Judkins enters 2026 with the kind of runway most backs never get. Despite a 3.6 yards-per-carry mark in 2025, the Browns are treating him like the guy, and that says plenty about how Cleveland views its backfield going forward.
Judkins handled the load last season, piling up 230 carries for 827 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough for the Browns to let Jerome Ford leave and then pass on adding any real competition in free agency or the draft.
Cleveland did bring in two undrafted free agent running backs, Davon Booth and T.J. Harden, but the message is clear: the pressure on Judkins mostly comes from inside the building.
Of course, his rookie year came with plenty of context. The Browns weren’t exactly rolling out a star-studded offense, and Judkins’ 1.47 average yards before contact points straight at a line that didn’t give him much room to work. The biggest obstacle, though, was even harsher.
Cleveland faced a loaded box on 45.22 percent of Judkins’ runs, the highest rate in the league. That kind of look makes life miserable for any runner, especially on a team whose passing game wasn’t doing much to loosen defenses. Even so, Judkins’ production was solid enough to keep Browns fans optimistic.
Then came Warren Sharp’s running back rankings, and Cleveland landed 26th. The explanation painted a starker picture.
Sharp wrote: "Quinshon Judkins gained five or more yards on just 25% of his carries, ranked dead last out of 55 running backs with at least 75 carries. Think that is the offensive line’s fault?
Even when he crossed the line of scrimmage without contact, he still ranked dead last (45%). Unless he makes a drastic leap forward, there’s little hope for improved production from the Browns' backfield."
That’s where the debate gets tricky. Judkins has been cast as the kind of bruiser who wears defenses down, the sort of back who keeps churning through contact. But his 2.12 yards after contact average ranked 47th among 65 running backs with more than 50 carries, which is not exactly the profile of a back who consistently creates extra yardage on his own.
Still, the numbers don’t tell the whole story without the picture around them. A run can technically start “without contact” and still be swallowed up almost immediately once the defense closes in.
Stack the box, shrink the lanes, and the running game gets squeezed fast. Without a passing threat forcing defenders to back off, backs usually pay the price.
Judkins, at 220 pounds, is built to run through bodies, not dance around them. The comparison isn’t Derrick Henry as a player, but the idea is similar: if he can get a head of steam, he becomes a much tougher problem. For that to happen, Cleveland’s line has to give him space to get moving, and the expectation is that unit should be better in 2026.
If it isn’t, Judkins’ stat line may not jump the way Browns fans want. He’ll still have to do his part, but this is a team game, and the setup around him matters. That’s why Todd Monken’s arrival should matter to him more than almost anyone else on the roster.
In Other News...
Browns Fans Should Not Ignore The Buzz Around This Day 3 Pick
Joe Royer gave Browns fans something to keep an eye on from the moment Cleveland used a Day 3 pick on the Cincinnati tight end. He arrives with an interesting path, too, after starting at Ohio State before transferring to Cincinnati, where he emerged as a much more prominent part of the Bearcats passing game and turned himself into a name worth remembering for a team always searching for dependable help at tight end.
What has people around the program talking is the belief that Royer is more than just a depth addition. Cincinnati tight ends coach Josh Stepp had high praise for Royers work ethic, competitiveness, character and pass-catching ability, and that kind of feedback tends to matter when a late-round pick is trying to carve out a role. For Cleveland, the appeal is obvious: a player with production, a sturdy football background and enough buzz to make this one of the more intriguing bets in the class. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Could Face A Tough Tight End Decision Sooner Than Expected
Harold Fannin Jr. gives Cleveland something it has wanted for a while at tight end, a young player to develop under new coach Todd Monken. Even so, the Browns are one of the teams worth watching if the market shifts around that position, especially with general manager Andrew Berry signaling a willingness to be aggressive when the right move comes along.
Ben Solak floated a scenario in which Detroit could eventually listen on Sam LaPorta because of cap pressure tied to its growing list of big decisions, and that kind of ripple effect would not go unnoticed in Cleveland. The Browns also have the kind of draft capital and young pieces that can make a trade conversation worth having, so if a premium tight end ever does become available, their interest could surface quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken Can Fix One Browns Problem Before Camp Gets Messy
Todd Monken inherits a Browns offense that spent too much of last season beating itself before the ball was even snapped, and thats the kind of problem a new head coach cannot ignore for long. Clevelands offense was the most penalized unit in the league in 2024, and with a fresh staff, major personnel turnover and a roster that has been reshaped to help the attack function more cleanly, the early emphasis figures to be on getting the details right before anything else matters.
The timing is important because this team has lived through too much instability on that side of the ball already, with quarterback changes piling up and the structure around the position now getting another reset. The Browns also added Mike Vrabel as a coaching and personnel consultant during the 2024 season, a sign they knew the operation needed more than a few tweaks, and Monken now has a chance to steady the offense before camp turns into a full-on evaluation of who fits, who settles in and whether the errors that haunted them last year finally stop snowballing. [Read more 🡒]