Quinshon Judkins had a tumultuous first NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. But new Browns head coach Todd Monken is seeing the Browns running back more at ease ahead of Year 2.
Monken addressed Judkins’ renewed confidence and said he “looks good” during Browns minicamp on Tuesday in Berea, Ohio.
Judkins led the Browns in rushing in 2025 (827 yards) and had seven touchdowns in 14 games in his rookie season after they chose him with the 36th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. But Judkins lost the final three games due to a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle, which he sustained in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills.
Judkins’ first year nearly did not happen entirely after he was arrested for domestic battery last July. However, charges against him were dropped.
Todd Monken: Quinshon Judkins has ‘got his Confidence Back’
GettyQuinshon Judkins is back on the field for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns’ 2025 season was lost early on after their 2-8 start, which left much of the focus on young players like Judkins. His catastrophic injury, which he sustained in the Browns’ 23-20 loss to Buffalo and required surgery, left many wondering about Judkins’ future.
But Monken, who watched Judkins twice in 2025 as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, liked what he saw from the Browns RB over the first two days of minicamp, compared to what Judkins did during OTAs last month.
“It feels like he’s got his confidence back, his explosion,” Monken said. “We’ll just see once we get the pads on, but it looks good.”
Judkins is still less than six months removed from his debilitating injury. So the fact the Browns are seeing him look like a full-strength version of himself during minicamp bodes well for his availability when training camp opens July 25.
“I know the work I put in, so I’m just prepared to put it out on the field,” Judkins said Tuesday.
The Browns Need Quinshon Judkins to Stay Healthy
GettyQuinshon Judkins is the clear No. 1 RB on the Browns’ depth chart this year.
Judkins fell just two all-purpose yards short of 1,000 in his rookie season and was the only Browns rusher to surpass even 200 yards last year.
Cleveland ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing (97 yards per game) which is a big reason why it went 5-12 despite giving up only 22.3 points per game (14th-best in the NFL).
So keeping Judkins healthy is integral, especially if the Browns are going to be committed to winning in a cold-weather style of running the ball and playing strong defense.
The Browns are likely to have Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback, at least for Week 1, and he hasn’t suited up since Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season after missing the entire 2025 season due to multiple Achilles tendon tears.
That will further require a strong running game for the Browns to stay competitive, especially while competing in arguably the NFL’s most competitive division, the AFC North. Judkins thinks that is not only possible, but likely.
“With more experience, more different looks and just learning football more, I think it helps any player,” Judkins said.
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