The Cleveland Browns have had the worst offense in the NFL by many different metrics over the past two years. Because of that, it wasn’t surprising in the slightest that the front office decided to overhaul the coaching staff and bring in a new wave of talent to fortify that side of the ball.
Todd Monken was an ideal coach to hire to help turn the offense around and the influx of talent on the offensive line and wide receiver should go a long way toward fixing all the issues that have plagued this team in recent years. As important as all that is, there is still a big question mark that one insider believes can only be answered by the most important player on this offense.
During a recent episode of Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Zac Jackson talked about his takeaways from the first days of Cleveland’s OTAs. He discussed how impressive running back Quinshon Judkins’ recovery from last year’s horrific leg injury has been and believes he is the most important player on this team, other than Myles Garrett or the quarterbacks.
“The most notable thing is that Quinshon Judkins was darn near a full practice participant, and I didn’t expect that until training camp. He looks good. His one leg is still bigger than the other, and they have been resting him a little bit. I don’t think he’s doing that every day. First screen pass, Quinshon Judkins. First two carries, Quinshon Judkins. This is a guy that’s arguably the most important non-quarterback, non-Myles Garrett player,” Jackson said.
Who was the most impressive non-rookie at the open #Browns OTA practice on Tuesday?@AkronJackson's answer had us like 👀 pic.twitter.com/tmiGBqJzY0
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) May 21, 2026
Monken recently spoke highly of Judkins and praised him for his rapid recovery, his work ethic, and his toughness as a runner. It was quite the endorsement, though not surprising given what Judkins showed this fan base as a rookie.
Running behind a messy offensive line that went through quite a few injuries, he still managed to rack up 827 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. With a revamped line and a year of experience under his belt, there’s no reason to believe Judkins can’t improve upon those numbers in Year 2.
There were too many rumors leading up to the draft of the Browns being interested in Jeremiyah Love with the sixth overall pick. Those rumors were always a slap in the face to Judkins, who fit the bill of a franchise RB as a rookie and should only continue to improve now that he has an improved situation around him.
NEXT: Todd Monken Is Starting To Look Like What Browns Needed
