Quinshon Judkins delivered one of the hardest hits of the Cleveland Browns’ opening week of training camp, but head coach Todd Monken made it clear the shot crossed a line.
Judkins sent defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. crashing to the turf during an 11-on-11 drill. Hall had disengaged from his blocker and appeared to be dealing with a shot to the face when Judkins came in and leveled him. Monken met with Judkins afterward and called the hit a mistake.
“In the heat of the moment, what happened on the practice field — and I’ve met with Quinshawn about it — there is a certain amount of regret at the moment when it happens. But we are all human and we do make mistakes,” Monken said. “And that’s what I always tell our team. I said, ‘You’ve got to fight to not get hijacked emotionally in a highly emotional game for all of us, whether it’s in our work or emotional or our personal lives, try not to get hijacked emotionally.’
“To me, where you go from here is we are human. I said this the other day. We’re going to fall short. Are you going to own it? And then are we going to fix it? And that’s just a speed bump. That’s all it is. It was a mistake.”
Todd Monken Not Concerned About Browns Tensions
The Judkins hit was not the only heated moment of the opening week. The Browns also had their first scuffle of training camp, with offensive and defensive players briefly coming together during Saturday’s practice. The defense has controlled much of the early action, creating some frustration and tension between the two sides.
Monken is not concerned about those emotions boiling over. Players are competing for starting jobs, spots on the depth chart and, in some cases, their future in Cleveland.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been through a camp where there hasn’t been a scuffle,” Monken said. “We’ve got prideful guys, guys that love to compete, love to practice, and that’s going to happen. I mean, it’s a physical sport. You’re going to have those pop up every now and then.”
The intensity should increase as the Browns move deeper into camp. The team put on pads on Monday. Cleveland will also have three preseason games and a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills to evaluate its roster before the regular season.
Browns Have Big Plans for Quinshon Judkins
The fact that Judkins is healthy enough to deliver that kind of hit is encouraging for the Browns. Judkins suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle during Cleveland’s Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills last season. The injury required surgery and ended a promising rookie campaign in which he rushed for 827 yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries. He also caught 26 passes for 171 yards.
Judkins worked his way back throughout the offseason and was cleared for the start of training camp. Running backs coach Duce Staley praised the work Judkins put into his rehabilitation and believes the second-year back is capable of handling an expanded role.
“You saw what he was able to do last year,” Staley said. “Missed a couple of days in training camp. Still was able to come back, adjust, was in great shape. He’s in great shape now. I think the sky’s the limit. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m going to push him to find out.”
Staley also believes Judkins can become more than an early-down runner.
“I think that Q can play all three downs,” Staley said.
Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders sit behind Judkins on the depth chart.
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