Analyst Says One Browns Player Deserves More Respect

Quinshon Judkins put together a quietly impressive season for the Browns last year, but the national conversation around running backs has largely overlooked what he accomplished given the circumstances surrounding him. The offensive line was in a state of flux, the quarterback situation rotated through multiple starters, and opposing defenses knew the run game was Cleveland’s primary weapon on most downs. Despite all of that, Judkins kept producing, and analyst Garrett Bush from the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show recently made a case for why he deserves far more credit than he has received.

Bush made his thoughts clear when comparing Judkins to some of the other backs who have drawn more national praise coming out of last season.

“Oh, nah. No! No! TreVeyon Henderson was not better than Quinshon Judkins last year. No. I am cool on both Henderson and Travis Etienne. I cannot do that. Why I say Judkins is because Judkins was arguably the focal point of the Browns’ offense with no line, not much of a passing game, multiple quarterbacks, and they knew he was getting the ball. TreVeyon Henderson was splitting carries with Rhamondre Stevenson and was playing with Drake Maye,” Bush said.

Judkins was not operating in a favorable situation last season.  He was the most predictable weapon on an offense that could not consistently protect the quarterback or threaten defenses through the air, which means every single defensive coordinator Cleveland faced spent time scheming specifically to stop him.

Henderson shared a backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson in New England and operated behind an offensive line that was far more capable of creating running lanes consistently throughout the season. He also had the benefit of playing alongside Drake Maye, whose development as a passer forced defenses to account for the passing game in ways that opened up running room that Judkins simply never had available to him in Cleveland.

The Browns completely overhauled the offensive line this offseason, bringing in Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins, and Zion Johnson alongside Spencer Fano to build a unit with genuine depth and veteran experience. If Judkins was producing as the focal point of the offense behind a struggling line with no passing game to speak of, the logical question is what he can do when the blocking in front of him is actually capable of creating consistent lanes on early downs.

Dylan Sampson adds another dimension to how Todd Monken can deploy this running game as well.  But Judkins remains the foundation of what this ground game can be, and the numbers from last season likely undersell what the young back is actually capable of.