BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Quinshon Judkins is focusing on getting ready for his NFL debut.
Whether that happens on Sunday for the Cleveland Browns rookie running back or is delayed one more week remains undetermined.
“Great feeling just to be back with all of my teammates, back in the building,” Judkins said after Friday's practice. “Focusing on football. Glad to be back in Cleveland and help the team win.”
It was Judkins' first interview since he signed with the Browns on Sept. 7. The second-round pick missed all of training camp after he was accused of domestic violence in Florida in July.
Prosecutors declined to pursue a case against him on Aug. 14 following a state attorney’s office investigation that found inconsistencies in the accuser’s story.
“I’m glad that the prosecutor closed the case and didn’t file any charges. I’m appreciative of that,” Judkins said. “Like I said, I made it through that and happy to be back.”
Judkins was in the Browns complex on Monday and Tuesday. He met with NFL officials in New York as part of an investigation into a potential violation of the league’s personal conduct policy before returning to Cleveland and being on the practice field the past two days.
The investigation remains ongoing with no timeline on a decision.
Judkins is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Baltimore. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Judkins has done a nice job trying to get up to speed.
Recommended for you
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do up to this point,” Stefanski said. “There’s football shape, and once you get in pads and get hit a little bit, that’s different than working out prior. But I do think he’s in good shape.”
Stefanski and the Browns are looking for improvement in the run game after it gained only 49 yards on 24 carries in last week's 17-16 loss to Cincinnati.
The Browns are hoping Judkins can become the main running back with fellow rookie Dylan Sampson and four-year veteran Jerome Ford also getting carries.
Judkins helped the Buckeyes win the national championship last season, finishing the year with 1,060 yards rushing and 16 total touchdowns.
“I feel good. Just still taking day by day in the playbook, learning everything I need to know in case I have to play," Judkins said. “As a competitor, you want to go out there and do your best every single day you step on the field. So if I have to play, I’m going to give it my all.”
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said that Judkins has done a good job of retaining knowledge of the playbook from spring workouts, but one advantage is that things are limited once teams get into game weeks.
“You have a finite number of plays within a game plan, there will be carryover in terms of the terminology," Rees said. "So, for him it’s really focused on, all right, we have a new playbook for this week’s opponent, let’s try to master that instead of saying, here’s our seven installs at training camp. That’s a little bit more daunting than one game plan.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.