What Quinshon Judkins injury means for the Cleveland Browns

Throughout a disappointing season with the Cleveland Browns, the bright spot has been the play of a stellar rookie class.

Now in a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, one of the Browns first three draft picks will end his rookie season with an injury that puts his future NFL production in jeopardy.

Running back Quinshon Judkins suffered a brutal hit against the Buffalo Bills, and he was clearly in immediate pain on the ground. Judkins officially suffered a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula.

The injury will likely cause Judkins around five months to recover from, which would put him in line to make his return to spring practices.

Judkins was originally drafted by the Browns in the second round of the NFL draft out of Ohio State.

After a contract holdout stemming from a legal issue caused him to miss the offseason and the first game of the year, Judkins jumped right in without missing a beat.

Judkins carried the ball 230 times for 827 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He also hauled in 21 catches for 142 yards, keeping just shy of the 1,000 yard mark for scrimmage yards this year.

Judkins surpassed 100 rushing yards one time this season, and surpassed 100 scrimmage yards two more times. His best games were against the Minnesota Vikings where he finished with a career-high 110 yards, and against the Miami Dolphins where he had 84 yards and three touchdowns.

Cleveland fans should be painfully aware of what a leg injury can do to a player's career, remembering what happened to star running back Nick Chubb. Cleveland’s best running back since Jim Brown heavily regressed coming back from a severe knee injury, never quite looking like the same runner.

Chubb would eventually have to leave for the Houston Texans, ending his tenure in Cleveland.

Luckily, Judkins is a much younger back. He’ll have no rush to come back from the injury, and get back to full strength.

For the remainder of the season, the Browns will be thin at running back. Jerome Ford has already found himself on the injury reserve list, and Dylan Sampson has been dealing with a calf injury for the past few games.

Cleveland will likely have to turn to Rocket Sanders and Trayveon Williams for the majority of the remaining season. They each played well against Buffalo, combining for over over 100 yards.

Both players will now be trying to earn spots for next year's roster, with Ford likely on his way out, and Judkins and Sampson locking down two spots (if healthy).

For Judkins, he finished with a fantastic rookie season. It is the best since Chubb, and should give Cleveland plenty of hope for the future, as long as he can bounce back from the injury.