Quinshon Judkins didn’t get the rookie year he pictured. His first NFL season was a mix of good stretches and hard stops, and it ended in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills when he suffered a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula. That injury slammed the brakes on a campaign that had already given him plenty to handle.
Now, after a full recovery and a long offseason spent rehabbing, Judkins says he’s in a strong place physically as he heads into Year 2.
“Definitely fortunate. Super grateful to our staff,” Judkins said Monday.
“I feel good. I feel the same, if not better.
I had an offseason to prepare a long time for. And even just making it through rehab, I think that was his own journey.”
The Browns running back’s rookie numbers still stood out despite the missed time. In 14 games, Judkins logged 230 carries for 827 yards and nine touchdowns, while also catching 26 passes for 171 yards. Even after sitting out three games, the 2025 second-round pick finished third among rookies in rushing yards, trailing only Ashton Jeanty and fellow Ohio State Buckeye TreVeyon Henderson.
His season had real peaks along the way. Judkins had at least 20 carries in five games and topped 80 rushing yards in four.
In four of his first five NFL games, he cleared the 80-yard mark on the ground. His two biggest outings came in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings, when he ran 23 times for 110 yards, and in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, when he piled up 25 carries for 84 yards and three touchdowns in one of Cleveland’s five wins last season.
By the end of the year, Judkins had become a central piece of the Browns’ offense. He led the team in touches with 256, finished first in first downs with 50 and was tied with Harold Fannin for the team lead in touchdowns with seven.
But the finish line was rough. In his last three games before the injury, Judkins managed just 34 carries for 69 yards, averaged 2.0 yards per carry and didn’t find the end zone.
This season, he’ll be running behind a revamped offensive line with five new starters. Judkins said he trusts the group in front of him.
“I think we have a great group of guys up front, Judkins said. “All of my belief is in them and my coaches.
Just going out there, I know physicality, I'll be able to do everything I've always done, that's not a question for me. But just the mindset, the mentality we have as a team, I think that's what is going to carry us over the top.”
Head coach Todd Monken has already shown he likes to build around the run. With Derrick Henry as the centerpiece in Baltimore, Monken’s offense with the Ravens finished No. 1 or No. 2 in rushing yards in two of the last three seasons while he was the offensive coordinator from 2023-25.
Monken also said in June that Judkins had regained what made him dangerous in the first place.
“(He’s) got his confidence back, his explosion," Monken said.
The setup is clear: Judkins is expected to be the lead back, with second-year runner Dylan Sampson projected into a third-down role. After a full NFL offseason, Judkins says he feels ready for the workload, and maybe even better than before.
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