Is Quinshon Judkins’ Time As the Browns' Starting Running Back Coming to a Close?

After five games, the rushing attack continues to be a no show for the Cleveland Browns.

So far, quarterback Deshaun Watson has led the team rushing twice, and the club’s running backs are averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, and that’s including Raheim Sanders’ 4.8 yards per carry average on nine attempts and Jaleel McLaughlin’s 15.5 on two.

Of course, that points to starter Quinshon Judkins as the main responsible in the backfield for the Browns’ woes on the ground, as he’s carried the ball 73 times for 221 yards and a paltry 3.0 yards per carry average to go with his lone touchdown for the season.

Name	Attempts	Yards	TDs
Quinshon Judkins	73	221	1
Deshaun Watson	37	167	0
Raheim Sanders	9	43	0
KC Concepcion	4	9	0
Jaleel McLaughlin	2	31	1
Corey Bojorquez	1	0	0

With Sanders now on IR, and the team signing third-year pro Audric Estime off the Vikings' practice squad, there are bound to be some changes for Cleveland’s backfield.

Yet, no one should expect Estime to arrive bearing a savior’s mantle. He’s started just two games throughout his career, and hasn’t played a down in 2026. Throughout a 20-game career, he’s carried the ball 122 times for 508 yards with three scores. He’s also caught 17 balls for 130 yards, so with an average of less than one catch per appearance, don’t expect him to make much of a difference as a receiver out of the backfield, either.

Nonetheless, there will be another shakeup coming soon for the Browns’ ground game, maybe even this week against the Ravens.

How the Browns could get boost their ground game

The answer could be a back already on the team’s roster -- Dylan Sampson.

The second-year player out of Tennessee injured his left knee in Week 1 and landed on the IR without logging a carry against the Jaguars. After missing the last four games, he’s now eligible for having his 21-day practice window opened by the club, meaning he could come back as early as this week.

“I think there is a possibility we’ll open up his window for this week,” said head coach Todd Monken on Monday.

Despite not being much of a factor on the ground as a rookie -- his 2.7 yard per carry average on just 65 attempts for the year was actually much worse than Judkins’ 3.5 in 2025 -- Sampson proved to be a valuable asset as a receiver out of the backfield, logging 33 catches for 271 yards and two scores.

While not as physical as Judkins between the tackles, Sampson has the speed, acceleration and change of direction skills to be a factor when getting the ball in space or running outside the tackles.

The Browns’ current staff must find a way to scheme him more effectively than their predecessors. After all, Sampson was viewed by some as a steal in the fourth round of last year, and Judkins' continued struggles this year might finally be opening the door for him.

And what makes Sampson’s return even more critical for the team at this particular time is the fact that Judkins is “day-to-day” with an ankle injury that could sideline him for the foreseeable future, although we’ll know more about his condition, and Sampson’s as the week progresses. If neither Judkins nor Sampson can play next Sunday against Baltimore, then a practice squad call-up could be in the works for Jarret Patterson, signed last week.

Of course, the Browns’ ground game woes go beyond Judkins and the other backs. The team’s offense line has struggled mightily to open up lanes for the running backs, as the team currently holds the highest percentage of run plays with the first contact occurring at 0 or less yards.

Percentage of runs with 0 or fewer yards before contact through Week 5:

1.) Rams: 34.8%
2.) Bengals: 35.0%
3.) 49ers: 36.2%
4.) Panthers: 36.8%
5.) Bills: 37.5%
6.) Bears: 40.3%
7.) Broncos: 40.4%
8.) Lions: 40.5%
9.) Giants: 42.6%
10.) Ravens: 42.6%
11.) Vikings: 42.7%
12.)…
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) October 13, 2026

The team’s 3-1 start to the season felt really good before last weekend’s letdown against the Jets helped expose some of the Browns’ many shortcomings. If Monken can’t find a way to fix them A.S.A.P., that three-game winning streak will start fading like a distant memory really quick.

Whenever he does come back, Sampson should get a nice chunk of the workload. Then, it will be up to him to show everyone in Cleveland that there's an NFL starter in him, somewhere.

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