Under Todd Monken, the Cleveland Browns are expected to rely heavily on their running game this season, based on the success their new head coach had in that area as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. It’s also because the Browns have one of the worst quarterback situations in the league.
That means their running backs need to carry the load if the team is going to be truly competitive. Fortunately, Cleveland may have one of the best young tandems in the game in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.
Considering that potential, the Browns’ RB unit received a surprising 2026 ranking from Pro Football Focus, coming in at No. 25.
“This might feel a little high, but the Browns have youth on their side in the backfield, with second-year players Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson both in the fold. Sampson struggled with just 2.7 yards per carry but showed promise in the passing game. Browns running backs totaled just 134 yards before contact last season, comfortably the lowest in the league,” PFF wrote.
That could be based more on the Browns’ rebuilt offensive line than the talent of the backs. There is also very little depth behind Judkins and Sampson, even though Davon Booth showed some explosiveness late in the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
It also likely takes into consideration that Judkins is returning from a serious leg injury he suffered late last season. But before that, he was well on his way to a 1,000-yard campaign as a rookie, on a team that was worse than this year’s promises to be.
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Judkins finished with 827 yards on 230 carries. He gained at least 58 yards rushing in eight of his 14 starts and had a three-TD and two-TD game along the way.
Sampson was a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, and he showed skills as a pass catcher, with 33 receptions on 40 targets for 271 yards and two touchdowns, including eight grabs in the season finale. He could prove to be an X-factor in an expanded role.
Monken and new Browns offensive coordinator Travis Switzer helped Ravens running back Derrick Henry gain more than 3,500 yards over the past two years and land at No. 4 on this list, and while that may be out of reach for Cleveland this season, there is the potential for it to be vastly improved this season.
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