The Cleveland Browns were blown out 41-17 by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. Although the loss to the AFC North rival wasn't pretty, Browns fans were at least treated to rookie running back Quinshon Judkins making his NFL debut.
Judkins played well, leading the team in carries (10) and rushing yards (61), including a long of 31 yards. He also grabbed three passes for 11 yards, showcasing his ability to be a producer in both phases.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski spoke about Judkins on Monday and hinted that his role could increase. "I thought he did a nice job with what we asked him to do.... Certainly capable of doing more," Stefanski said, per Akron Beacon Journal's Chris Easterling.
As excited as Cleveland fans are for more of Judkins, any workload uptick will likely come at a teammate's cost.
Browns' Teasing More Work for Quinshon Judkins is Bad News for Jerome Ford
With Judkins' role set to increase in the coming weeks, that spells bad news for RB Jerome Ford. He led the team in total snaps both weeks thus far, but saw those reps decrease from 41 to 35. Through two games, he has tallied 12 rushes for 39 yards. Ford also has six catches for 20 yards.
These numbers aren't anything to boast about, and Judkins looked more dynamic in just one game. There's a reason why Cleveland added Judkins in the second round, and he's proved that to be the right decision so far..
The Browns' offense needs as many explosive difference makers as they can get. The 21-year-old RB has that trait, which makes it easy to see why Stefanski wants to find more ways to get him the ball. Giving him more carries in the backfield is an easy fix, but it will come at the expense of Ford.
Ford has been in Cleveland for the last four seasons and has been a rotational piece in the backfield. He hasn't been able to firmly take the job, and that seems to be the case once again. In 46 career games with the Browns, he has 1,429 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns.
The home run ability that Judkins brings to the field is something that Ford can't compete with consistently. The Browns also have fellow rookie Dylan Sampson in the backfield, who can chew up some reps and has already demonstrated some solid pass-catching ability.
With these two rookie running backs in the backfield, Ford's usage will go down in the coming weeks. And with what Judkins did against the Ravens, it looks like the right call for this team.