With a Week 1 intra-Ohio battle looming for the Browns, they still don’t have on the team a running back who played most recently for The Ohio State University.
Quinshon Judkins continues to be the only unsigned rookie from the 2025 draft class. A domestic violence arrest has derailed his career, for now. Even though he won’t face formal charges, the NFL is investigating. And the Browns and Judkins have yet to resolve the situation.
He could, in theory, try to return to college football. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer recently reported that Judkins is not considering that possibility.
And it is just a possibility. Yes, current NCAA rules prevent it. At a time when so many NCAA rules are antitrust violations hiding in plain sight, a legal challenge could prevail. And Judkins could return to finish out the college football season, making much more money there than he’s making in the NFL.
Because he’s currently making none from the Browns.
Cabot appeared earlier this week on PFT Live. She said the reason for his status as unsigned still isn’t clear. His slot, based on other signings, now calls for a fully-guaranteed contract. The Browns could, in theory, be trying to push back against that new phenomenon as it relates to Judkins.
Another potential sticking point could be the default language that wipes out guarantees. Since both sides know about the thing that could result in a Judkins suspension — and since a suspension usually voids all remaining guarantees — Judkins may be trying to get the Browns to exempt the pre-existing incident from the default clause. And the Browns might be unwilling to do that.
Regardless, there’s still no contract. Even though Judkins could try to go back to college football and return to the NFL next year (the Browns would still hold his contract rights), he’s reportedly not considering what recent developments in court have made into a viable possibility for any player who doesn’t want to sign his rookie contract.
