The Cleveland Browns’ running game was horrendous in their Week 1 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals. As a team, the Browns ran for a pitiful 49 yards on 24 carries, with rookie running back Dylan Sampson having most of the production (29 yards on 12 carries).
Cleveland hopes that the running game will improve with the inclusion of Quinshon Judkins, who finally signed his rookie deal last week. When Judkins does make his debut, it could put veteran Jerome Ford’s job in jeopardy, who was a non-factor in Week 1. However, the veteran running back doesn’t have to worry about Judkins just yet.
On Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that Judkins is not practicing today, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Mary Kay Cabot adds that the rookie is meeting with the NFL in New York under its Personal Conduct Policy regarding his misdemeanor battery charge (won’t be charged), and will be back in Cleveland on Thursday.
Jerome Ford Has One More Opportunity to Rebound From Terrible Week 1
Until Judkins goes through a full week of practice, Ford will have one more chance to prove that his Week 1 performance was a fluke, and not a sign of things to come.
The veteran running back was terrible against the Bengals, recording eight yards on six carries, and had one catch for -3 yards. Now, neither team ran the ball well last week, but averaging 1.3 yards per carry is horrible. To put that into context, Joe Flacco averaged more yards per carry on two runs (3 yards), and his longest run (4 yards) was longer than Ford’s (2).
Browns fans were certainly not pleased with the veteran running back’s outing and cannot wait for the Jerome Ford experience to be over. It also didn’t help that Nick Chubb ran the ball well in his Texans’ debut — 13 carries for 60 yards.
Heading into the regular season, many fans wondered how the running back snaps would be divided among Ford, Sampson, and Judkins.
Sampson showed that he can be an immediate threat in the passing game, racking up eight receptions (eight targets) for 64 yards. One would think that would give him an edge over the veteran Ford, who saw a fair amount of work in the passing game last year (37 recs for 225 yards) and in 2023 when Flacco was the quarterback (44 recs for 319 yards and 5 TDs).
When it comes to Judkins, he’s the complete package at running back. He has good first-step acceleration, can get to the second level due to his speed and quickness, and is a solid pass catcher out of the backfield.
He’s the perfect replacement for Ford. But the veteran can keep Judkins at bay if he bounces back against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.