Snap counts rarely make headlines, but they often tell the real story of how a coaching staff views its players. A depth chart can say one thing while the playing time says something else entirely. Those changes usually happen gradually, then all at once. For the Browns, Sunday’s numbers in New Orleans pointed to a shift in the backfield that could be worth watching.
Spencer German shared the Browns’ snap counts from the overtime loss to the Saints, and one detail stood out right away.
“Browns snap counts from Week 9 vs the Saints. Dylan Sampson with 22 more snaps than Quinshon Judkins. Jared Verse tied his season low in percentage of snaps played (57%), the 43 snaps is the second most he’s played in a single game this season, though For the first time this season, Isaiah Bond registered 0 snaps,” German said.
Browns snap counts from Week 9 vs the Saints
– Dylan Sampson with 22 more snaps than Quinshon Judkins
– Jared Verse tied his season low in percentage of snaps played (57%), the 43 snaps is the second most he's played in a single game this season, though
– For the first time this… pic.twitter.com/77IUzVPzLa— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) November 9, 2026
Dylan Sampson played 47 of the Browns’ 73 offensive snaps, or 64%. Quinshon Judkins was on the field for just 25 snaps, or 34%. Fullback Mike Burton added 11 more.
Judkins still had more carries, finishing with 43 yards on 15 attempts compared with 21 yards on 8 carries for Sampson. But Sampson was the back the Browns trusted in passing situations. He was targeted 6 times and caught 3 passes for 27 yards, while Judkins caught 1 pass for 2 yards.
Some of that comes down to how the game played out. Shedeur Sanders was making his first start of the season, and the Browns spent much of the 2nd half and overtime in hurry-up mode. Those situations naturally favor a back who can catch the ball and pick up blitzes.
Still, Judkins’ production has not given the coaching staff much reason to push back. The 2nd-round pick from 2025 has 385 yards on 116 carries this season, an average of 3.3 yards per carry, along with 3 touchdowns. He was under 3 yards per carry in each of his last 2 games, including 25 yards on 11 carries in Pittsburgh.
There have been bright spots. Judkins ran for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 27-24 win at Tennessee, and he has scored 10 rushing touchdowns over his 1st 2 seasons. He has also been reliable as a receiver, catching 22 of his 24 targets this year.
The frustration has shown, though. Judkins has been open about his disappointment with how the offense has gone, and he was fined $11,941 for taunting in the loss to the Steelers.
The bigger issue is the offense around him. The Browns ran for just 34 yards in Pittsburgh, and the offensive line has struggled to open running lanes for most of the season. No back is going to thrive without room to run.
One game does not make a trend. Deshaun Watson likely returns as the starter against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and the game plan could look very different. If Sampson’s role keeps growing, though, Judkins may have to fight to hold onto his job over the 2nd half of the season.
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