The Cleveland Browns are preparing to unveil a brand-new offense in the 2026 season. With as many as nine new starters, no one really knows what to expect from the revamped unit.
That means there is a huge opportunity for any of the skill-position players to take over as the focal point of the attack. How the quarterback competition shakes out will ultimately have the biggest impact on who will emerge.
If the passing game takes some big strides forward, it likely will become one of the Browns’ receivers. But if head coach Todd Monken and first-time coordinator Travis Switzer have to rely heavily on the running game, then Quinshon Judkins is the obvious choice.
With that in mind, insider Ashley Bastock is raising the biggest question facing Judkins, asking if he can build on his solid rookie season coming off an injury.
“Judkins believes another year of experience across the roster should help too. For the Browns, that’s the hope. Judkins has already answered one important question by returning to the field and looking like himself throughout the offseason. Now comes the bigger one. Can he turn a promising rookie season that ended too soon into the breakout campaign the Browns envisioned all along?” Bastock wrote.
Judkins got a late start to his rookie season, dealing with a serious legal matter that also had an impact on his contract negotiation. Despite that, he performed well, gaining at least 61 yards in each of his first four NFL games, including a 110-yard outing in Week 5. He followed that with three TDs and 84 yards rushing in Week 7.
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Judkins was well on his way to a 1,000-yard rookie season before two subpar games leading into a serious leg injury suffered in Week 16. He finished with 827 yards on 230 carries, scoring seven touchdowns in 14 games.
With Jerome Ford gone as a free agent, and Dylan Sampson profiling more as a third-down pass-catching back, Judkins has a golden opportunity to be Cleveland’s lead offensive option. Monken and Switzer built the NFL’s best rushing attack as assistants with the Baltimore Ravens over the past three seasons around Derrick Henry, and Judkins could be called on for similar duties.
Big things are being projected for Judkins this season, and training camp will fully reveal if he’s healthy enough to reach them.
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