Browns’ Quinshon Judkins Gets Bad News Ahead of Week 2
Quinshon Judkins signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns, but it doesn’t seem likely he will be in the lineup this week.
Judkins missed all of training camp and the preseason as he was holding out for his contract. As well as his legal issues were being resolved. As Judkins is practicing ahead of Week 2, his status is uncertain. But the Browns listed him as the fourth-string running back on the unofficial depth chart.
Judkins is behind Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson, and Raheim Sanders, so at this rate, it does seem likely he won’t be in the lineup for Week 2 when the Browns are on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens.
Judkins will need time to get ramped up and up to game speed before he gets into game action. Meanwhile, Cleveland got a temporary roster exemption for Judkins, meaning he can practice and doesn’t count on the 53-man roster for the time being.
“The #Browns are expected to get a temporary roster exemption for RB Quinshon Judkins, who is signing his fully guaranteed rookie contract today,” Pelissero wrote on X. “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.”
Although Judkins isn’t technically on the 53-man roster yet, the hope was that he would play in Week 2.
Browns Coach Isn’t Sure When Judkins Will Play
After Cleveland’s Week 1 loss, the attention turned to Judkins and when he will be in the lineup.
However, after the loss, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t thinking about Judkins or his return to the field.
“We’ll see,” Stefanski said on Sept. 8. “Got to get through this week of practice, but don’t know.”
If Judkins does get up to speed, he could be in the lineup in Week 2. But, that would mean Cleveland would have to make another roster move as he technically isn’t on the 53-man roster yet.
But, for now, Judkins will practice all week, but all signs point to him likely taking another week to get ready before making his debut in Week 3.
The Browns are a massive 11.5-point underdogs against the Ravens in Week 2 on the road.
Cleveland Had High Expectations for Judkins
After the Browns selected Judkins in the second round, he was expected to be the team’s starting running back.
Following the draft, Cleveland’s general manager, Andrew Berry, said he expected Judkins to be a bell-cow-like running back for the team.
“We feel like he’s just a very well-rounded back,” Berry said. “We’ve obviously been spoiled over the past couple of years, particularly with Nick and Kareem (Hunt). And we feel like he is very much in that mold in terms of skill set. Not necessarily saying that he’s going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players. We certainly hope that’s the case. But we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us.”
Judkins was selected 36th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after helping the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national championship.
Bears $53 Million Investment Had One of Worst Week 1 Performances in the NFL
Monday night in Chicago was supposed to be the beginning of a new era for the Bears, particularly on offense, with their revamped offensive line taking center stage. Instead, their 27–24 loss to the Vikings felt all too familiar.
Jonah Jackson, brought in as a key part of that rebuilt interior, struggled badly in his debut. Penalties, blown protections and missed assignments made his first impression a rough one, and for quarterback Caleb Williams, it meant spending much of his 2025 debut running for his life.
The Bears were in control for most of the night, building a 17–6 lead before Minnesota stormed back in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t just one breakdown that flipped the game; it was a pile of self-inflicted mistakes.
Twelve penalties for 127 yards made sustaining drives nearly impossible, and too often it was the offensive line putting Chicago behind schedule. Jackson was flagged early and often, setting the tone for an offense that never looked settled.
Jonah Jackson’s Bears Debut vs. Minnesota Vikings Week 1 Was About as Bad as it Gets
For Jackson, the night unraveled almost immediately. Two false starts in the first half derailed promising drives and left Chicago’s offense playing uphill.
“We said going into Week 1 that the team that would make the least number of mistakes would win the game,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said after the loss. “Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that. We made too many there late in the game, myself included. There were a number of things that I could have done better, a number of things that a number of guys could have done better. When you look down at the stat sheet and you see 12 penalties, that’s got to get cleaned up in a hurry.”
Per PFF, Jackson played a total of 46 pass block snaps and 20 run block snaps. He allowed five hurries and was flagged twice, netting a 31.0 overall grade and an absolutely wretched 22.6 pass block grade, the latter of which was the second-worst amongst all guards who played more than two pass-block snaps.
Considering the fact the Bears just extended him, it was a disappointing debut to say the least.
Why Jonah Jackson Matters to Caleb Williams and the Bears’ Future
GettyChicago Bears right guard Jonah Jackson struggled mightily in his 2025 debut against the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago invested heavily in its offensive line this offseason to help give Williams stability in his second year and avoid a repeat of last season’s protection issues, when the team allowed a league-high 68 sacks. Paired with Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman, the goal is for Jackson to help anchor the middle.
After trading for Jackson this offseason, the Bears did something rather odd considering he hadn’t yet played a snap for them: they inked him to a $53 million extension with just under $30 million guaranteed.
The Bears don’t need perfection from their guards, but they can’t survive with constant first-and-15 situations, or with their quarterback forced to freelance on every series.
The Bears drafted Williams to be the face of the franchise, but even the most dynamic quarterbacks need protection to succeed. Jackson doesn’t have to be a star—he just has to do his job without making a ton of errors. If he can settle in, this group still has the potential to grow into what the front office envisioned. If not, the Bears and their fans could be in for more games like they had against the Vikings.
