As if the injuries weren’t bad enough this year, the Cleveland Browns experienced a heartbreaker during their recent game against the Buffalo Bills. As Quinshon Judkins was carted off the field, fans feared they were seeing the last of their rookie star for the season.
Sure enough, Judkins fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle, ending his year. But the impact that he made on the team left a big impression.
Speaking to the press, running back coach Duce Staley talked about the sort of player Judkins is and how he proved that he can be the future RB1.
“He was able to come right in and step right into those shoes and was very productive,” Staley said.
Quinshon proved he could be the team's feature RB1 going forward throughout his rookie season pic.twitter.com/6gd30wBWPt
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 26, 2025
Things got off to a rough start for Judkins, but he became the primary ball carrier in Week 2 and never looked back. He ends the season with 827 rushing yards on 230 carries and seven touchdowns.
More than just the raw stats, he proved capable of handling a consistent workload at the NFL level. Like most rookies, there were questions about how smoothly Judkins would transition to the speed and physicality of the league. While his first season had its ups and downs, Staley indicated that Judkins gave the team exactly what it needed when called upon.
Taken as a whole, the season laid a solid foundation. Regardless of how it started or finished, Judkins did enough to position himself as a meaningful part of the team’s plans and will get another opportunity next year to build on what he showed as a rookie.
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