Kevin Stefanski Leaves Door Open for Quinshon Judkins vs. Bengals

The Cleveland Browns may have identified their starting quarterback for the 2025 NFL season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, but they still have plenty of question marks along the roster.

Following their highly publicized QB competition, all eyes are now on the team's other spot in the backfield.

After letting former workhorse running back Nick Chubb walk away in free agency, Cleveland knew that it would need a new lead ball-carrier to take pressure off Joe Flacco and the passing game.

That was supposed to be rookie Quinshon Judkins, whom the Browns invested in heavily, spending the 36th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to acquire him.

A wrench was thrown into the works when the former Ohio State Buckeyes star was arrested in Florida for domestic violence.

Ultimately, the prosecution dropped all charges against Judkins, but he remains unsigned with Cleveland.

Now, his status for the upcoming campaign is in question, although there's optimism that he could take the field for the Browns as early as Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals .

Kevin Stefanski not shutting the door on Quinshon Judkins for Week 1 The fact that Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned suggests that he and the Cleveland Browns are having a dispute over their contract.

As a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, his deal is already laid out, worth around $11.4 million over four years, including a $5 million signing bonus.

The league's rookie deal terms also stipulate that Judkins' contract includes guaranteed money.

However, a suspension would negate that commitment for the Browns.

Since Judkins is facing potential consequences from the NFL due to his domestic violence incident, he and his camp might be looking to get that guaranteed money anyway.

As soon as he signs, he's eligible to report to the team until the league decides its ruling.

He missed the first day of practice in Week 1 ahead of the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, but theoretically, he could come in later on and still play.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot asked Head Coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday if there were any updates on Judkins' status with the Browns, to which he said no.

However, when Cabot asked if Judkins could report later in the week and possibly suit up against the Bengals, Stefanski gave a vague answer: "I cant get into that.

Hard to speculate." That's not exactly an encouraging sign for Judkins' Week 1 prospects, but Stefanski didn't shut down any possibilities of his rookie running back returning either.

If Judkins is unable to go, expect Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson to handle most of the responsibilities for the Browns..

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