Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins won’t face formal charges for an alleged domestic incident in South Florida last month but he’s not completely out of the woods yet.
Judkins, a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, was arrested on July 12 and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery stemming from an alleged incident involving his girlfriend.
After reviewing extensive evidence, Broward State Attorney’s office in South Florida declined to formally charge Judkins, which it explained in a memo.
“This incident was not captured on any video surveillance,” the decline memorandum read. “There are no independent witnesses to the incident. Although the victim had photos showing injuries sustained, there were also videos in that same time frame where no injuries were observed to the victim. Additionally, the victim’s injuries depicted in the photos could be explained by either account of the incident.”
Judkins has been cleared of legal charges but could still face discipline from the NFL. The league’s investigation remains open, and precedent suggests a suspension is possible. Last season, Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was suspended five games even after his initial domestic violence charge was reduced to disorderly conduct.
“We have been following developments in the matter which remains under review,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told cleveland.com of Judkins.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins Only Unsigned Rookie
What complicates Judkins’ situation is that he remains the only unsigned rookie in the NFL. Like many other second-round picks, Judkins held out in hopes of securing a fully guaranteed contract.
While all of his peers have come to terms with their teams, Judkins’ off-field issues have clouded his future. When training camp opened, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he’s uncertain when Judkins could be signed.
“In terms of those decisions, signing, being at camp and everything like that, it’s honestly probably too early to make any type of determination. So as we gather information, we’ll have a better view on that,” Berry said. “Sometimes the information comes a little bit more slowly, but we’re still in probably the information-gathering stage with him.”
Quinshon Judkins Potential ‘Bell-Cow’ Back for Browns
The Browns used the No. 36 overall pick on Judkins, viewing the former Ohio State and Ole Miss standout as a key offensive addition following their decision to part ways with Nick Chubb.
“We’ve obviously been spoiled over the past couple years, particularly with Nick (Chubb) and Kareem (Hunt), and we feel like he is very much in that mold in terms of skill set,” Berry said after the draft. “Not necessarily saying that he’s going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players — we certainly hope that’s the case — but we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us.”
In Judkins’ absence, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson and others have carried the load for the Browns in the backfield.
Judkins is running out of valuable time to prepare for his rookie season. The Browns face the Philadelphia Eagles in their second preseason game on Saturday. Cleveland has one more preseason game before kicking off the season on September 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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