Quinshon Judkins was the last player from this year’s draft class to sign with his team, and the Cleveland Browns won’t waste any more time getting him on the field.
The 36th overall pick out of Ohio State will play without restrictions in Sunday’s game against the Ravens, sources tell CBS Sports. Although it’s unclear if he will start over Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, Judkins is expected to get significant playing time after being activated Saturday afternoon.
Judkins signed his four-year rookie deal on Saturday. The NFL allowed him and the Browns a standard two-game exemption, meaning he didn’t count against the team’s roster in last week’s season-opening loss to the Bengals.
The delay in signing his contract is linked to Judkins’s earlier arrest in July for a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault. However, Fort Lauderdale police opted not to pursue formal charges, ending any ongoing legal issues for Judkins.
The NFL is still investigating Judkins under its personal conduct policy, but no decisions regarding potential punishment have been made, and there is no timeline for disciplinary action. Until a decision is reached, he can practice and compete for the Browns.
Last week, the Browns only managed 49 rushing yards against the Bengals. Sampson led the group with 29 yards on 12 carries, and none of the team’s five ball carriers had a run exceeding 5 yards.
Though Judkins took part in rookie minicamps and voluntary workouts, he did not participate in any training camp practices. Thursday marked the first time Judkins was able to practice with the Browns since off-season workouts in June.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement allows a total of 14 padded practices in the regular season, with at least 11 required during the first 11 weeks. Only one instance of two padded practices can occur in that timeframe. It’s notable that the Browns opted to use that opportunity in Week 2, as Judkins missed Wednesday’s practice for a meeting with NFL investigators. He did participate in padded practice on Thursday, which was one of the only two-in-one card practices allowed for the season.
During his college career at Mississippi and Ohio State, Judkins averaged over 1,200 rushing yards. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year while at Mississippi before transferring to Ohio State, where he partnered with TreVeyon Henderson to lead the team to a national championship last year.
Judkins was drafted by the Browns with their second pick in the second round, ranking as the third running back selected behind Ashton Jeanty (sixth overall) and Omarion Hampton (22 overall) and just ahead of his former teammate Henderson, who was taken at number 38 by the New England Patriots.
