The Cleveland Browns will put the final nail in their preseason coffin when they host the Los Angeles Rams for Saturday afternoon's exhibition finale. A 2-0 start to the preseason slate has Browns fans feeling optimistic with the regular season right around the corner, and a third consecutive victory would take the optimism over the top.
As excited as the Cleveland faithful is for the upcoming regular season, the excitement would be even higher if fans had a chance to see Quinshon Judkins play. The rookie running back has missed a good chunk of the offseason due to legal issues stemming from an alleged domestic incident in July, leaving his NFL future up in the air.
On Aug. 14, ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi reported that the charges surrounding Judkins were dropped after all of the evidence was reviewed. Even though that legal situation is in the rearview, the rookie Browns RB's path to joining the roster isn't without a final obstacle.
Though Cleveland second-round pick Quinshon Judkins will not face any charges, he and the Browns still have been unable to reach a deal and may not until the end of any NFL investigation. pic.twitter.com/QzbE6j8tsK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 18, 2025
Rookie Browns RB Quinshon Judkins Is Still Unsigned After Legal Issues
On Monday afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Judkins and the Browns "still have been unable to reach a deal" until the NFL finishes its investigation into the rookie RB. Even though legal charges have been dropped, the league clearly wants to do its own due diligence before clearing the former Ohio State product to play, and there's no telling how long that could take.
Judkins, 21, was one of the many second-round picks searching for a fully guaranteed contract this offseason. The 2025 NFL draft's 36th overall selection is likely hoping for a certain amount of guaranteed money on his rookie deal, and the Browns probably want to be certain if he'll be suspended or not before agreeing on a number.
The last thing Browns fans need is another off-field distraction, so hopefully, the team and Judkins reach an agreement sooner rather than later. The front office clearly has big plans for the Day 2 pick, or else they wouldn't have used an early second-round pick on him in April.
Judkins displayed plenty of RB1 potential during his three seasons between Ole Miss and Ohio State. In 42 outings across that stretch, the Pike Road, AL native turned 739 carries into 3,785 rushing yards and 59 catches into 442 receiving yards, all while scoring 50 total touchdowns. That's without mentioning how he was also the SEC's rushing TD leader in 2022 (16) and 2023 (15).
Pierre Strong Jr. (13) and Ahmani Marshall (6) handled the majority of the Browns' backfield carries during Saturday's 22-13 win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The duo will likely face a similar workload if Judkins misses this weekend's finale, and the staff will also likely sprinkle Trayveon Williams, Toa Tua, and Dylan Sampson into the mix as well. Perhaps veteran RB Jerome Ford will finally make his preseason debut.
Regardless of how the upcoming RB duties are split, Browns fans will be closely monitoring Judkins' situation to see if he'll be in the mix before Saturday afternoon.