Browns RB Quinshon Judkins Gets Bad News on Future During Camp

Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is the only rookie in the NFL who has not signed a contract and the second-round pick faces an uncertain future.

Judkins was arrested on July 12 and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in Florida. The charge stems from an incident on July 7, in which he is accused of physically assaulting a woman during an argument that began at the airport and escalated in a rental vehicle.

According to the police report, Judkins allegedly struck the woman in the mouth and chin with a closed fist, then hit her multiple times on the arm and thigh. The woman waited five days before contacting authorities, citing concerns about how the allegations might affect Judkins’ NFL career. She said in the 911 call that she has “a lot more of my story to tell.”

Like many other second-round picks, Judkins was looking to land a fully guaranteed contract, which dragged out the negotiations. The recent domestic violence allegations have complicated things even further.

“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,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said at training camp. “Sometimes the information comes a little bit more slowly, but we’re still in probably the information-gathering stage with him.”

Browns Could Relinquish Rights to Quinshon Judkins

The Browns are in a very unique situation with Judkins. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk broached the idea of Cleveland relinquishing their rights to Judkins.

“His better move will be to resolve the case, negotiate an unpaid suspension, and then sign his contract,” Florio said. “This assumes the Browns still want him. They say they’re doing their due diligence. Which, in theory, could prompt them to do something like relinquish their rights to him. It’s unclear whether they would do that.”

The Browns are taking the situation seriously but it seems unlikely they would let Judkins walk. Berry called the former Ohio State running back a “bell cow” back after selecting him with the No. 36 overall pick.

“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.”

Browns Still Sorting Out Running Back Depth Chart

With Judkins yet to sign, the Browns are relying on Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr. and Dylan Sampson, a fourth-round pick. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has been particularly impressed with Sampson’s ability to transition to the NFL.

“I think (Sampson) has proven to be really, really intelligent, which we knew. You do so much homework on these guys, and you put them through the process prior to the draft,” Stefanski said. “I knew that he could handle a lot. But I’ve been really impressed.”

Ford is expected to be the lead-back out of the gate for the Browns. However, he’s missed the start of camp due to an injury. Ford led Cleveland in rushing last season, notching 565 yards on 104 carries. Ford’s 5.4 yards per carry average was the best of his career.