Dylan Sampson’s first game back was the kind of reminder Cleveland hoped to see.
Activated off injured reserve on Saturday, the former Tennessee running back returned Sunday and made an impact in the Browns’ 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans. Sampson had been sidelined for five games after injuring his knee while returning a kickoff in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the layoff didn’t seem to slow him down much.
He finished with 77 all-purpose yards and looked comfortable throughout the afternoon. On the ground, Sampson picked up 45 yards on six carries, highlighted by a 19-yard run on a fourth-quarter drive that helped Cleveland build a 24-17 lead. Through the air, he added three catches for 32 yards, including a 22-yard catch-and-run on third-and-4 out of the backfield in the third quarter.
Sampson’s day was strong enough to make him the Browns’ second-leading rusher behind Quinshon Judkins, who ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Back at Tennessee, Sampson built a résumé that already stands with the best in program history. He was an All-American and earned the 2024 USA Today Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award, along with SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors that same season.
His rise came after sharing the backfield with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small during his first two seasons. In 2024, he took over as the starter and turned in a junior year that was loaded with record-setting production.
Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns on 258 carries, both single-season school records. He also set Tennessee’s program mark for points with 132 and found the end zone on the ground in 11 straight games, another school record.
He led the SEC in rushing touchdowns, all-purpose yards at 1,638 and rushing yards per game at 114.7. Sampson also posted 10 games with at least 100 rushing yards, making him just the second Vol besides Jay Graham to do that in a season.
Some of his biggest performances came in the biggest spots. He ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s win over No.
7 Alabama and was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He also scored three touchdowns against Florida and finished the regular season with a career-high 178 rushing yards at Vanderbilt.
Sampson left Tennessee with 2,492 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 422 carries. His 35 rushing scores are tied with James Stewart for second in program history, behind only Gene McEver’s 37, according to Tennessee Athletics.
Off the field, Sampson was part of the team’s leadership council and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll twice. He entered the 2025 NFL Draft after skipping his senior season, and the Browns selected him in the fourth round with the 126th pick.
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