Browns Won’t Have Key Offensive Weapon for Week 1 Showdown vs Bengals
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Michael Gallagher covers national trending news across the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football and entertainment for Newsweek.
He brings over a decade of writing and editing experience in sports journalism, has won multiple Tennessee Press Association awards, and covered several notable events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game, and an NHL Stadium Series.
His previous bylines can be found on Athlon Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Hockey News, Fox Sports, the Nashville Scene, the Nashville Post, Yardbarker, and SB Nation. You can read more of Michael’s work by following him on X @MGsports_.
Michael Gallagher
Contributing Sports Writer
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Perhaps no team in the NFL was talked about more this offseason than the Cleveland Browns.
The team loaded up on quarterbacks following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury, signing Joe Flacco, trading for Kenny Pickett, and drafting both Dillon Gabriel (Round 3) and Shedeur Sanders (Round 5), only to trade Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks ago and sign Bailey Zappe to the practice squad.
But with their season opener a little over 24 hours away, Browns fans will finally have something more to talk about than the volatility of their team or the questionable decision-making of its front office.
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To date, the Browns have ruled out just one player for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals — defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. — but the team now knows one other player who won’t be suiting up on Sunday.
“The Browns are signing RB Quinshon Judkins to a fully guaranteed four-year, $11.4 million contract, per source,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote on X. “Judkins is not expected to play this week against the Bengals, but now, every 2025 draft pick has been signed.”
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Dillon Gabriel #5 of the Cleveland Browns hands the ball off to Quinshon Judkins #10 participants in a drill during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 10, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. Dillon Gabriel #5 of the Cleveland Browns hands the ball off to Quinshon Judkins #10 participants in a drill during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 10, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
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It was believed that Judkins would see a healthy amount of carries while splitting time with Jerome Ford in Cleveland’s backfield. With the Ohio State rookie sidelined, Ford should get the lion’s share of the workload while fellow rookies Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders work in as the backups.
Many expect Judkins to be suspended by the NFL at some point this season for violating its personal conduct policy. Until the league makes a decision about that, it’s possible Judkins could be placed on paid leave until then, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
It’s unclear when a decision will be made about Judkins’ official roster status.
“The #Browns are expected to get a temporary roster exemption for RB Quinshon Judkins, who is signing his fully guaranteed rookie contract today,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported. “That’s unrelated to the league’s ongoing disciplinary process; it’s standard for players who missed camp and can last up to two games.”
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