Joe Flacco Gets Honest on Quinshon Judkins Joining Browns
The Cleveland Browns could have a new-look running back room in Week 2.
The Browns officially signed rookie Quinshon Judkins to his deal, as he was the last draft pick to sign. Although Judkins signed, he may not play in Week 2, but he will be back practicing with the team.
Ahead of Judkins returning to the team, the Browns’ starting quarterback, Joe Flacco, is excited for the rookie running back to be a part of the offense.
“I think it’s exciting for him,” Flacco said about Judkins after the Week 1 loss. “I mean, we got to see him a little bit in the spring, and he, you know, looked like a hell of a ball carrier. So, listen, I think we’re going to need all the pieces at some point, and different guys are going to need to step up at different points in the season. I think he’s a big part of what this football team could be, so it’s good to have him back. And I’m excited for him to kind of get in there and feel like he can be part of the team again.”
Judkins will be a key part of the Browns’ offense once he is able to play, but it’s uncertain if he will be in the lineup in Week 2.
Judkins was selected 36th overall by the Browns in 2025.
Browns Noncommittal on Judkins Playing Week 2
Although Judkins signed before Week 1, he missed all of training camp and preseason, so he will need some time to ramp up.
However, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he isn’t sure if Judkins will play in Week 2.
“We’ll see,” Stefanski said. “Gotta get through this week of practice. I don’t know.”
The NFL is also set to meet with Judkins to discuss his legal issue, which has now been resolved.
In Judkins’ absence, the Browns used Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson in Week 1. Sampson rushed for 29 yards on 12 carries, while Ford rushed for 8 yards on 6 carries. Sampson, however, added 64 receiving yards on 8 receptions as he was a big part of the Browns’ passing game.
Cleveland is set to go on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.
Cleveland Had High Praise for Judkins
The Browns used an early Day 2 pick to select Judkins to be a star running back for the team.
Following the pick, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said they viewed Judkins as a bell cow running back.
“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.”
The hope for the Browns is that Judkins will be able to play in Week 2. But it is likely he will need at least another week to get up to speed.
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Top MLB Free Agent After 2025 Season
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman
The Los Angeles Dodgers have notoriously been one of the top spenders in MLB for several years now. They showed that at the beginning of 2025, they signed many top free agents to improve their roster.
However, that has not led them to become the juggernaut team many analysts and executives thought they would be. Los Angeles is 79-64 and will likely not reach the 90-win mark with just 20 games left this regular season.
Whatever the Dodgers do in the postseason, one MLB Insider believes they will sign the top free agent after 2025.
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Kyle Tucker
The Chicago Cubs’ slugger is having a rough last two months of the season, but is still considered the top free agent.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale believes it will be to the Los Angeles Dodgers:
“Rival executives still believe he’ll be the highest-paid player in free agency,” Bob Nightengale reported Monday. “Their prediction where he’ll land? The Dodgers, who badly could use outfield help.”
The Dodgers could use outfield help, but signing Tucker to say, $400 million would put them far over the luxury tax. But it would address a much-needed positional issue. Los Angeles signed Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal before the season, and he has looked like a massive bust the entire season.
Conforto still isn’t above the .200 average mark, despite playing in 124 games. His OPS is 77, well below league average. The Dodgers also traded for left fielder Alex Call back in July, and he hasn’t had much production either. Signing Kyle Tucker in free agency is right up the Dodgers’ wheelhouse.
Although Tucker has struggled for the past few months, he’s still had a solid season. Kyle Tucker still has 22 home runs and an OPS+ of 140.
Kyle Tucker Has So Many Accolades As a Player
Bleacher Report recently came out with a prediction piece about Kyle Tucker’s free agency, and it showed how tenured he is as a player:
“After all, Tucker’s resume includes a World Series title, four All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove. He led the league in RBI in 2023 when he was with the Houston Astros and has hit more than 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons. While he hasn’t been himself since the All-Star break with a .242 batting average, five home runs and 17 RBI, some of that can be explained by injury concerns. And he still has solid overall numbers this season with a .270/.381/.472 slash line, 22 home runs and 73 RBI. Tucker is also just 28 years old, which is another reason he will surely command a significant deal this offseason.”
The next question is how much the Dodgers would pay him, and that will be up to Tucker’s agent.
Fans of other MLB teams would not be happy with the Dodgers making a big-money signing like this, but it would put a lot of pressure on the Cubs to attempt to dish out a higher AAV contract. Tucker’s free agency will be one of the highest-anticipated events this offseason.
