Browns starting RB role unclear, but rookie Quinshon Judkins won't have any guardrails in Week 2 debut

Quinshon Judkins was the last player from this year's draft class to sign with his team, and the Cleveland Browns won't waste any more time getting him on the field.

The 36th overall pick out of Ohio State won't have any restrictions in Sunday's game against the Ravens, sources tell CBS Sports. Though it's unclear if he will start over Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, Judkins is expected to see plenty of action against Baltimore after being activated Saturday afternoon.

Judkins signed his four-year rookie contract on Saturday. The NFL gave him and the Browns a standard two-game exemption, and he did not count against the team's roster last week in Cleveland's season-opening loss to the Bengals.

The delay in signing is directly attributed to Judkins's arrest in July on a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault. Fort Lauderdale police eventually determined they would not pursue formal charges, thus concluding any criminal matter outstanding against Judkins.

But the NFL continues to investigate Judkins under its personal conduct policy. No determination has been made regarding any potential punishment, and there is no timeline for any potential discipline. Until then, he is free to practice and play for the Browns.

The Browns got just 49 total rushing yards last week against the Bengals. Sampson led the way with 29 yards on 12 carries, while none of the five ball carriers had a run longer than 5 yards.

Judkins participated in rookie minicamp and OTAs, but he did not take part in any training camp practices. Thursday marked Judkins's first practice with the Browns since June's offseason workouts.

The NFL's collective bargaining agreement allows for 14 padded practices in the regular season. Eleven of those padded practices must be held during the first 11 weeks of the season, while the other three must be carried out over the final six weeks of the year. Only one time in those first 11 weeks may a team hold two padded practices in the same week.

It's telling that the Browns used that opportunity in Week 2. Judkins missed Wednesday's practice as he met with NFL investigators, a source told CBS Sports. He got his padded practice on Thursday when the Browns used their only two-in-one card for the entire season.

Judkins averaged more than 1,200 rushing yards in his three-year college career at Mississippi and Ohio State. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year with the Rebels before transferring to Ohio State for the 2024 season, where he combined with TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield to win the national championship last year.

The Browns took Judkins with their second selection in the second round. He was the third running back taken in the draft behind Ashton Jeanty (sixth) and Omarion Hampton (22), while slotting just ahead of his former backfield mate Henderson at No. 38 to New England.