I'm interested in Quinshon Judkins, both this year and going forward. The Browns selected him just 4 picks into the second round, highlighting their lofty estimation of him, and he's joining a top-performing ground game.
Not last year, of course. The Browns ranked just 29th in rushing, averaging 95 yards per game, and scored only 6 touchdowns on the ground (2nd-fewest). But I think that's a one-year blip.
Cleveland opened the year with Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as their top 2 running backs; those are former fifth- and fourth-round picks. Then they got Nick Chubb back from injury, but it seems certain he was not fully recovered -- he averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt, some 2 yards below his career average. Between Chubb backups and a less-than-healthy Chubb, the team simply didn't have the personnel. And factoring in the liability at quarterback, those guys didn't have much chance.
But I think the running back spot itself was the primary sore spot, since this is a team that hasn't had a viable quarterback for years. And it was still able to run the ball effectively in most of those seasons.
In the five seasons prior to last year, Cleveland ranked in the top 12 in rushing each season -- 3rd, 4th and 6th in three of those. Only three teams ranked higher, on average, across those five seasons: Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
| TEAM RUSHING, 2019-2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Avg |
| Baltimore | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.6 |
| Philadelphia | 11 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6.8 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7.0 |
| Cleveland | 12 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 7.4 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 17 | 8.0 |
| Buffalo | 8 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9.6 |
| Arizona | 10 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 4 | 10.6 |
| Indianapolis | 7 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 10 | 10.6 |
| Dallas | 5 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 10.8 |
| Chicago | 27 | 25 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 13.8 |
| Green Bay | 15 | 8 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14.2 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 5 | 17 | 27t | 29 | 14.3 |
| Seattle | 4 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 28 | 14.6 |
| New Orleans | 16 | 6 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 15.4 |
| New England | 18 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 26 | 16.0 |
| NY Giants | 19 | 19 | 24 | 4 | 16 | 16.4 |
| Carolina | 14 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 17.0 |
| Denver | 20 | 13 | 13 | 21 | 18 | 17.0 |
| Detroit | 21 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 17.2 |
| LA Rams | 26 | 10 | 25 | 27t | 11 | 18.0 |
| Kansas City | 23 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 18.8 |
| Jacksonville | 17 | 28t | 22 | 14 | 24 | 19.3 |
| Washington | 22 | 26 | 12 | 12 | 27 | 19.8 |
| Atlanta | 30 | 27 | 31 | 3 | 9 | 20.0 |
| Las Vegas | 13 | 14 | 28 | 17 | 30 | 20.4 |
| Miami | 32 | 22 | 30 | 25t | 6 | 22.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 29 | 32 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 23.8 |
| LA Chargers | 28 | 18 | 21 | 30 | 25 | 24.4 |
| Houston | 9 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 22t | 25.8 |
| Cincinnati | 25 | 24 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 26.4 |
| NY Jets | 31 | 23 | 27 | 25t | 22t | 27.0 |
| Tampa Bay | 24 | 28t | 26 | 32 | 32 | 28.5 |
Not that 2024 doesn't count, but a lot of the pieces are still in place. It's one of the league's best guard duos in Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. And maybe now they've got the running back.
Judkins put up big numbers in two seasons at Ole Miss, then transferred to Ohio State and did the same. In those three years he averaged 5.1 yard per attempt and scored 14-16 touchdowns in all of them. Whether he can do the same kind of things in Cleveland, which will either be starting a mid-round rookie at quarterback or a modest or wizened veteran, is less certain.
But that should be the goal, and Judkins -- I think -- is a lot better than what the team was able to trot out last year. (Chubb's quiet market before finally signing as a backup in Houston makes that pretty clear.)
Fantasy teams love to select rookie running backs. Early ADP data indicates Judkins is going around 22nd-24th at the position, which might be too high. But if the ground game can get back to what it was doing a year ago, probably with him as the main back, it won't be. I have some interest.
--Andy Richardson