Quinshon Judkins walked back into CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on Tuesday with no restrictions and no more questions about his ankle. The Browns’ second-year running back reported for training camp fully healthy, seven months after a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle ended his rookie season early.
Veterans returned to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on Tuesday, July 28, ahead of the team’s first padded practice Wednesday. Judkins was among them, cleared and ready to work.
According to Pro Football Rumors, citing Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Judkins is a full-go for camp. Cabot had signaled the update days earlier. Mary Kay Cabot posted on X: “Quinshon Judkins is full-go for camp and Harold Fannin Jr. is back; Denzel Ward is here to stay, and more” —
Quinshon Judkins is full-go for camp and Harold Fannin Jr. is back; Denzel Ward is here to stay, and more: #Browns Insider —> https://t.co/N1ntU0KBTs
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) July 26, 2026
A Long Road Back From Week 16
The injury happened in a Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills last season. Judkins went down with a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle, the kind of injury that ends seasons and clouds the following offseason. Doctors initially pegged his recovery timeline at four to five months, according to Pro Football Rumors. That put full clearance for camp within reach, but not guaranteed.
It didn’t stop there. Head coach Todd Monken said this spring that Judkins looked confident and explosive at OTAs, per a report from the Akron Beacon Journal relayed by The Fantasy Footballers. By the time camp opened, the recovery had exceeded expectations. Cabot described it as the best-case scenario for a full comeback, according to Dawgs By Nature.
a Buckeye ready to ball 🌰@quinshon_ | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/ckkG1xiUHb
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 28, 2026
Judkins also posted his own offseason training footage on social media, walking fans through the work that got him back on the field. He didn’t need to. The medical reports had already said enough.
Why Cleveland Needed This
The Browns didn’t add a single meaningful piece to the running back room this offseason. No free-agent signing, no draft capital spent on the position. That wasn’t an oversight — it was a bet on Judkins staying healthy.
Instead, Cleveland spent its resources rebuilding the offensive line around him. The team signed guard Zion Johnson and center Elgton Jenkins, traded for tackle Tytus Howard, and drafted Ohio State’s Spencer Fano, according to Dawg Pound Daily. Last season’s line struggled badly in that department — Judkins ranked 51st out of 65 qualifying backs in yards before contact, per Dawg Pound Daily’s review of Stat Rankings data. A rebuilt line gives him room he didn’t have as a rookie.
New offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s track record adds another layer. Monken got over 300 carries out of Derrick Henry in each of his two seasons with the Ravens. Dawgs By Nature raised the possibility that Judkins could see a similar jump in workload from the 230 carries he handled in 2025.
| Category | 2025 Rookie Season |
|---|---|
| Games played | 14 |
| Carries | 230 |
| Rushing yards | 827 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 7 |
| Receptions | 26 |
| Receiving yards | 171 |
| Yards per carry | 3.6 |
What’s Next
Cleveland opens padded practices this week, with nine sessions open to fans running from July 31 through August 12, per the Browns’ official training camp release. The preseason opener comes August 15 against the Bears, followed by home games against Buffalo and New England. The regular season kicks off September 13 at Jacksonville.
None of that answers Cleveland’s quarterback question, which remains unsettled heading into camp. But at running back, the picture is about as clear as it gets. Judkins is healthy, he’s RB1, and the line in front of him looks nothing like the one that struggled to create room for him a year ago.
