Browns Receive Optimistic Update on RB Quinshon Judkins
Like every other team in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns will have some tough decisions to make pertaining to their final 53-man roster. However, they have some uniquely complicated situations they're dealing with that other franchises don't have to worry about. For example, even after parting ways with Tyler Huntley, the Browns are still expected to carry four quarterbacks into the regular season: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.
They added all four this past offseason and are unlikely to cut any of them. Unless some other team shows interest in Pickett, it's hard to imagine them parting ways with either of their promising rookies or their Week 1 starter in Flacco.
Quarterback isn't the only area of interest for Cleveland. The team will also have to sort out its running back room in the coming days. The Browns were reportedly on the market for another rusher after Quinshon Judkins' legal issues and an unconvincing training camp and preseason from Jerome Ford and rookie Dylan Sampson.
Quinshon Judkins set to join Browns soon
There was worry that Quinshon Judkins might not make the final 53-man roster for the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, the domestic abuse charges against him were dropped by the prosecution, but he could still face consequences from the team or the NFL itself. Because of the legal proceedings, he remained unsigned throughout training camp and preseason and is still without a contract.
However, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot expects him to join the Browns shortly, especially considering the measures in place to mitigate the risks for the team signing him:
"The Browns will likely receive a roster exemption for Judkins, their second-round pick out of Ohio State, once he signs his four-year rookie contract. This is particularly true if he’s placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list while the league completes its review of his domestic battery arrest. But the expectation is that he’ll be on the team at some point fairly soon, and this prediction reflects how the room will ultimately look. Once he’s back with the team, he’ll be reinstated as the workhorse back and heir apparent to Nick Chubb. Ford had a good camp and can spell both Judkins in the featured back role and Sampson, their fourth-round pick, in the third-down role. The Browns are not looking to trade for a running back."
Should Judkins be placed on the Commissioner's Exempt list by Roger Goodell, he won't count against the Browns' 53 allotted roster spots, allowing them to sign an additional player until their second-round pick is activated again. There's still no telling how long he'll be held out, if at all, but Cleveland won't have to panic while his case is reviewed or if he does get suspended.
