BEREA, Ohio — Browns running back Quinshon Judkins spoke so softly at the mic stand on Friday in his first interview back with the team that he was barely audible.
But the Browns hope he can make plenty of noise Sunday in Baltimore.
If all goes as planned, Judkins, the Browns No. 36 overall pick out of Ohio State, will make his NFL debut Sunday against the Ravens and their No. 1 run defense from last season.
“Great feeling just to be back with all of my teammates, back in the building,” Judkins said. “Focusing on football. Glad to be back in Cleveland and help the team win.”
Judkins signed his four-year rookie contract worth a fully-guaranteed $11.4 million on Saturday and picked up where he left off in mandatory minicamp before he was arrested July 12 for misdemeanor domestic battery stemming from an incident involving his girlfriend. On August 14, prosecutors in South Florida declined to formally charge, citing a lack of video evidence, and the fact that his girlfriend waited five days to report the incident despite numerous opportunities to do so.
Despite the dropped criminal charge, the NFL proceeded with its review of Judkins, and interviewed him Wednesday at the league office under its Personal Conduct Policy. It made no ruling that day, and has no timeframe for doing so, a league spokesman told cleveland.com. At this point, he may or may not be suspended. In the meantime, Judkins is free to play, and seems poised to do so on Sunday despite practicing only two days with the team this week and being listed as questionable.
“I’m glad that the prosecutor closed the case and didn’t file any charges,” he said. “I’m appreciative of that. But, you know, like I said, just happy to be back in Cleveland and with my teammates here and accomplish my goal.”
Kevin Stefanski sounded optimistic Judkins will play Sunday and help lift the Browns running game up off the mat. They averaged only 2.0-yard per carry during Sunday’s 17-16 loss to the Bengals, and can use him in conjunction with fellow rookie Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford.
“I’d say he’s done a nice job,” Stefanski said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do up to this point.”
He declined to predict how much action Judkins will be ready for, but noted his excellent physical condition. The Browns must lift their two-week exemption on him by Saturday, and make a corresponding roster move.
“There’s football shape, and once you get in pads and get hit a little bit, that’s different than working out prior,” Stefanski said. “But I do think he’s in good shape. I thought he did a nice job with this week.”
As for picking up the gameplan this week, it’s easier than swallowing the playbook whole.
“He was with us all spring,” Stefanski said. “Smart kid, so he’s picking up quickly.”
Regarding the boost he can provide the running game, Stefanski was cautiously optimistic. Judkins will likely be workhorse back, with Sampson providing a speedy changeup and good hands out of the backfield.
“Need to get through the next 24 hours, but obviously he’s a player that we think highly of, so we’ll see,” Stefanski said.
Judkins hasn’t concerned himself with whether or not he’ll be suspended and was given no indication of it one way or the other when he left the league office.
“It’s nothing I can control or anything like that,” Judkins said. “I think for myself, it’s just making sure I’m prepared when the time is there.”
He was asked if he had any regrets regarding the incident with his girlfriend, and said “you learn different things. You see how important people that are around you are, like your family, your inner circle, people that support you, things like that. Like I said, I made it through that and happy to be back.”
He doesn’t necessary feel the need to convince people he’s a good person and not someone who would harm a woman.
“I’d say more so the people that are around me, my teammates, my family, the people that I impact, always been who I am, and, you know, I can’t be anybody that I’m not,” he said. “So I say just control what I control and be myself.”
If he’s pressed into service on Sunday, he’ll try to run with the same explosiveness he did last season at Ohio State, where he led the team with 1,060 yards and 16 TDs, including 14 rushing.
“As a competitor, as a player, you want to go out there and do your best every single day you step on the field,” he said. “So if I have to play, I’m going to give it my all.”
Judkins felt the love from his teammates as soon as he set foot back in the building on Saturday.
“For me to be back in the locker room with all of my teammates, get to see their expressions, how happy they were that I was back here in Cleveland, back to playing football and just spending a lot of time with them, (I’m happy to) get in the playbook and be around those guys all day,” he said.
Myles Garrett, for one, is thrilled to have a power running game on the docket. It was one of the things on his wish list for a successful team — ball control offense with an AFC North-style running game.
“For sure,” Garrett said. “He comes in, he’s in shape, he runs hard, he’s a different style of running back than we have currently and looks like he’ll be getting the ball in a variety of ways. So I look forward to seeing what he can do with the ball in his hands, and the more he can keep us off the field and keep us fresh, we can continue to rush and stop the run and get the ball back to them.”
As for advice to a rookie starting out with some adversity, Garrett had the right words.
“Keep your head down and focus on what you can control,” he said. “At the end of the day, whatever happens with the NFL -- now it’s out of the justice system’s hands -- but whatever happens with Roger (Goodell) and them as they review it, continue to work hard, continue to be here for your teammates, support us as we support you and really let us know how we can best serve and support you. Stay focused on your playbook, knowing your role and when you come in just hit the ground running.”
The Browns certainly hope he can do that in Baltimore.
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