The 2025 season has not gone the way of Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford. The 26-year-old’s campaign started with a dreadful outing in a Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and his Week 2 performance against the Baltimore Ravens was overshadowed by the debut of rookie Quinshon Judkins.
With Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hinting that Judkins could have an even larger role in Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, Ford is getting to the point that most of us would consider restarting our Madden franchise. But things may have gotten worse as Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported that DeAndre Carter returned to practice after suffering a concussion in Week 2 could make his return on Sunday.
DeAndre Carter’s Return Could Bury Jerome Ford Even Further on Browns Depth Chart
Ford’s grip on a spot in the Browns' backfield was pretty loose in Week 1 as the Browns paired him with rookie Dylan Sampson. It was seemingly hanging by a thread when Judkins debuted the following week. But Ford could at least lean on his special teams ability until Carter returned to practice.
Carter entered the season as the Browns’ primary kick returner, logging five returns for 118 yards before suffering a concussion in last week’s loss to the Ravens. The 32-year-old has also returned punts, logging 13.7 yards per return so far this season. While he doesn’t have much of a receiving role with no targets over the first two games, he’s in a similar position to Ford, where he needs special teams snaps to see the field.
For Ford, that battle isn’t going well. Ford gained five yards on seven touches, including a reception for a three-yard loss against the Bengals. While he was able to gain 31 yards on six carries and made five catches for 23 yards against the Ravens, Judkins stole the show with 61 yards on 10 carries.
The silver lining was that Ford was involved in the return game with four kick returns for 81 yards after Carter’s injury in Week 2. But Ford didn’t have a single return when Carter was healthy in Week 1, raising questions about his usage going forward.
The good news is that fellow running back Dylan Sampson didn’t do himself any favors by running four times for six yards against the Ravens. But his receiving ability, with 11 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the first two games, would seem to remove Ford from the passing game.
It’s a mess that could leave Ford looking for another opportunity at some point this season. But he’ll have to make do with what he has in a season that hasn’t played out to his advantage.