The Cleveland Browns have started the process of reducing their active roster from 90 men to the initial 53-man roster. The staff at DBN has speculated what the Browns 53-man roster might look like, but there are a load of questions that we have no answers to, including at the running back position.
When Cleveland drafted RB Quinshon Judkins in the second round and RB Dylan Sampson in the fourth, it all but ended Nick Chubb’s career with the Browns. Chubb said it is not goodbye, but a return doesn’t
seem likely.
Losing Chubb was softened by the arrival of Judkins from The Ohio State University, fresh off a National Championship. The 6’0”, 221-pound back with electric athletic ability was set to take over as the team’s bellcow only to see a legal charge prior to Browns training camp throw things off track.
Now, not only might Judkins not join Cleveland’s roster anytime soon, but wild speculation is that Judkins could return to the college game:
If the player never signs an NFL contract (and Judkins has not), why shouldn’t he be able to return to college? The NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement contemplates the possibility of a player returning to school after the draft. While not binding on the NCAA, it shows that it shouldn’t be viewed as an impossibility.
How would that impact the Browns?
If Judkins would play in college football this year, the Browns would still hold his contractual rights. If he doesn’t sign with the Browns at all, he would re-enter the draft in 2026.
Regardless of whether Judkins would pursue the option to return to college, it’s an option that players previously didn’t have. They now do, and it would be foolish to not explore all options.
Barring some kind of huge NIL offer and significant issues with Cleveland’s management, and even then, Judkins’ returning to college is highly unlikely. Not only would he need to risk his professional career, but he’d likely need a judge to rule in his favor, and quickly, so he could play in a college season that has already started.
Wild speculation? Yep. As daft as some of the Shedeur Sanders conversation? Maybe not quite that far.
