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Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
We're hoping again.
Once more, the Browns are entering a season with unexpected bad news. Once again, the Cleveland Browns are relying on unproven players to step up.
This time, it's because Quinshon Judkins has gotten himself into trouble. Unless there's some dramatic development in his misdemeanor-level case of violence against a female acquaintance, Judkins is unlikely to be able to carry the load at running back for the first stretch of challenging games, spoiling the Browns' plans to help their unproven passing game by returning to a power running attack behind an offensive line that is again embracing wide zone concepts.
Even before Judkins' problems, the Browns were facing predictions of a 1-5 or 0-6 start to the season. Now, things look even more grim.
The incident couldn't make Browns General Manager Andrew Berry look any worse. Despite the lack of concerns about Judkins' character during the draft process, the situation is the third year in a row where there have been domestic violence-related issues among new draft picks. Making things (much) worse, Berry had just made the surely-difficult decision to jettison beloved power running back Nick Chubb in exchange for rebooting the running back room with Judkins leading the charge. The situation has provided plenty of ammunition for Berry's critics, who have made their feelings clear on our forums and social media.
But Judkins is effectively gone as the Browns' season is defined. How does a team manage a power running game without a three-down power running back?
In the case of the Browns, they now turn to Jerome Ford and rookie Dylan Sampson. Ford has carried the load before and shown flashes, but his overall production has been unspectacular. The Browns' feelings about Ford were amply demonstrated during the off-season. Ford was forced to accept a pay cut, reducing his salary from approximately $3.5 million to a fully guaranteed $1.75 million, or he would be released. He took the smaller amount, likely to avoid becoming irrelevant in the face of a strong running back draft class.
The guaranteed money should ensure that Ford is part of the equation, but in a much larger role than the team expected when they acquired Judkins. Ford should be highly motivated after the financial wrangling, but, once again, the team is hoping that he elevates his game in Judkins' absence.
Jerome Ford
Jerome Ford takes a handoff in pre-season camp action (Photo: Getty)
That leaves Dylan Sampson, who declared for the draft as a junior after amassing 1,491 yards on 2587 carries and 22 touchdowns during the 2024 college season. That's an impressive total, especially considering that Sampson played in the second-best conference in college football, the SEC. For his efforts, Sampson was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and was selected as a second-team All-American.
While Sampson gained most of his yardage on the ground versus 143 yards as a receiver, heading into his NFL career, the 5'8" athlete has been thought of as a change-of-pace back, and a player who could be put in the slot to race defenders to the sideline to enable a quick passing game.
Still, during his last season with Tennessee, Sampson handled a heavier workload, which included leading the SEC in carries. At the same time, Sampson is perceived to be limited as a pass protector and has the size and burst more associated with a role player.
That sets up two players, Ford and Sampson, to battle for those crucial first-and-second-down carries and pass protection to help the Browns thrive. In both cases, the team is hoping for a surprise of sorts without Judkins, and that one or the other proves they can be effective without the team's intended bell-cow back.
Speaking as a fan with 26 years of experience of looking at a pre-season roster and relying on the hope that someone steps up, I sure wouldn't mind Nick Chubb on this team right now. I expect Chubb to exceed his 2024 production in the second year after suffering that massive knee injury, but Andrew Berry and the Browns staff clearly disagreed and moved on.
And now, they have Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson filling in. One of them needs to step up. Andrew Berry's reputation might very well be tied to whether or not they do.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
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