Quinshon Judkins has been a bright spot for the Cleveland Browns‘ anemic offense but he exited Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots with a shoulder injury.
Judkins suffered the injury in the second half against the Patriots. He was facing some tough sledding before going down. He had just 19 yards on nine carries — a paltry 2.1 yards per carry average. He added three catches, but those went for negative three yards.
After initially dubbing Judkins questionable to return, the Browns ruled out their star rookie. Fortunately, the Browns are heading into their bye week, which will give Judkins some extra time to recover.
In Judkins’ absence, fellow rookie Dylan Sampson saw an increased workload. The Browns also have veteran Jerome Ford on the depth chart.
The Browns also suffered a scare late in the fourth quarter when rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger was rolled up on at the end of a play. He limped off the field and did not return. Schwesinger leads the Browns in tackles and notched his first interception against the Patriots.
Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell, who recently came over via trade, was also ruled out with a concussion.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins ‘Spark’ Browns Needed
Judkins was coming off a strong performance in a 31-6 victory against the Miami Dolphins. He rushed 25 times for 84 yards and found the end zone three times.
“We worked very hard to make sure that we got Q and our runners into the second level as much as we could because we knew they would make some yards,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the win. “So, there were some things that we blocked up really well. If you block it up well for Quinshon, he’s gonna make a lot of yards.”
Judkins missed all of training camp and the preseason. He’s been playing catch-up, but his raw talent has been on display.
“This is my first year in the league, you know, so just trying to get comfortable with a lot of different things and running different schemes,” Judkins said. “Just trying to go out there and execute to the best of my ability.”
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Continues to Struggle
With the run game unable to get on track, more pressure was on rookie Dillon Gabriel to produce. He wasn’t able to do much, failing to look downfield, with almost all of his completions going to tight ends and running backs.
Gabriel also turned the ball over, throwing two interceptions. It was something he had not done in his first three games as the starter. The Browns were also called for a safety when Gabriel was called for intentional grounding in the end zone.
The Browns enter their bye week facing a pivotal decision at quarterback. Gabriel has struggled to establish himself as a reliable NFL starter, while rookie Shedeur Sanders remains waiting for his shot. Sanders sat out Sunday’s game with a late-week back injury, but depending on his recovery, he could be in line for consideration as the starter when Cleveland returns from the bye to take on the New York Jets.
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