BEREA, Ohio — Rookie minicamp is mostly just a playbook orientation that includes about 70 minutes of football exercises.
For the Cleveland Browns, Friday’s official start of rookie camp marked the first day of the team’s new chapter at running back. Jerome Ford is back for now, Nick Chubb is likely moving on and the new kids in town were on the practice field.
Advertisement
As expected, second-round pick Quinshon Judkins was first in every line as the Browns’ rookies went through the practice reps, and fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson was close behind.
Judkins will almost certainly become the team’s feature runner at some point during his rookie season. Sampson’s exact role is to be determined, but he’ll be looking to move up the depth chart and potentially win a third-down job. As the Browns drafted two running backs and Ford chose to take a pay cut in the final year of his rookie deal to reduce his 2025 salary to a guaranteed $1.75 million, Chubb remains a free agent — and it appears his seven-season run in Cleveland is over.
After months of talking around the near-certainty of Chubb’s exit, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a radio interview Friday morning that the Browns don’t expect the four-time Pro Bowler to return.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I would say it’s probably increasingly unlikely,” Berry told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, one of the Browns’ official radio partners. “We do have two young guys that we like. We think Jerome plays a role. It’s basically kind of maybe seeing how the roles shake out in the running back room.
“You’re never going to rule out someone as near and dear to our heart as Nick, and I would expect him to take another step being a year removed from the knee injury. But I’d say a return is less likely, at least in the short term, with us right now.”
Chubb has been one of the best and most popular players of the Browns’ post-1999 era. From 2018 to 2022, he was one of the NFL’s most consistent running backs. Chubb suffered multiple knee injuries in September 2023 and required multiple surgeries, and he took a pay cut to remain with Cleveland in 2024. Chubb played in eight games, rushing for three touchdowns, before suffering a broken foot that cut his year short last season.
Advertisement
Chubb, 29, averaged 5.3 yards per carry over his first six NFL seasons. He had a streak of four straight 1,000-yard seasons and ran for a career-best 1,525 yards in 2022 before suffering the knee injuries in the second game of the 2023 campaign. Though the Browns drafting two backs might have been a surprise, selecting their new running back of the future always seemed likely. Judkins was taken at No. 36 in the second round with a pick the Browns acquired in their first-round blockbuster trade with Jacksonville.
“Nick Chubb is a great back who’s done a lot of great things here,” Judkins told Cleveland reporters before Friday’s practice session. “I’m looking forward to starting my own legacy, and I think the coaches will put me in a great position to do that.”
Judkins (5-foot-11, 221 pounds) is an explosive athlete who can run between the tackles. He had 45 rushing touchdowns over three seasons and capped his college career by scoring three times in Ohio State’s national championship win over Notre Dame in January. Sampson (5-foot-8, 200 pounds) led the SEC with 1,491 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns last fall.
Dylan Sampson, who was drafted in the fourth round by Cleveland, led the SEC in rushing yards last season. (Jeff Lange / USA Today)
Judkins said he’s fully focused on learning the playbook and refining his game rather than how he might eventually fit, but he added that he’s “an all-around player” who believes he’s game-ready at just 21. Judkins said the message he received from Browns running backs coach Duce Staley ahead of rookie minicamp was “to just go out there and execute — just be the guy they drafted.”
Ford played sparingly as a rookie in 2022, but he alternated between the feature back and a third-down role over the past two seasons. His decision to reduce his 2025 salary at least temporarily ensured his roster spot with the Browns, though Ford could go from atop the depth chart to a potential trade candidate if the rookies progress. The Browns signed fullback Troy Hairston to a futures contract and have two more fullbacks in their rookie minicamp, a sign that the offensive installation will include an emphasis on the power-run game that thrived with Chubb in coach Kevin Stefanski’s first three seasons.
Advertisement
The running back room is crowded. Pierre Strong Jr. is also back and under contract for one more season, though he is more of a special teams player. Sampson could end up competing with Ford and Strong for kick return duties and pass-down work, though the real competition won’t start until the pads come on in training camp. Right now, Judkins and Sampson are sticking to introductions and basic installations.
“We obviously like (Judkins) and his skill set,” Stefanski said. “I think (Sampson) was a player we really, really liked a lot throughout the process. So, I think it really just so happens that they’re different in style, which I think is beneficial. I think when you’re talking about the running back position and the quintessential change of pace (back), sometimes you can go from a speed back to a stronger back, or vice versa. So, I think it really did just happen that way. But we liked both of those guys a lot going into this draft process.”
RBs gettin’ after it 💨@quinshon_ | @dylans21527 pic.twitter.com/tpCYBGJXXa
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 9, 2025
Stefanski has stressed the basics with the 47 players in rookie minicamp, a group that includes the team’s seven draft picks, 13 undrafted rookie signees and a collection of tryout and first-year players who spent some of last season on the practice squad or at the bottom of the roster. For most of those 47, nothing is certain past the next few days.
For Judkins and Sampson, though, competition and opportunity await. The draft results say that Stefanski, Berry and the other folks in charge think the rookie runners are ready.
”We’re gonna be able to push each other and get better,” Sampson said. “Along with the older guys in the room, we’re gonna learn from each other. I’m ready to just learn some more ball. Me and Quinshon, we’ll have a good relationship, and we’ll be able to push each other.”
(Top photo of Quinshon Judkins: Ken Blaze / Imagn Images
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Former Cowboys Pro Bowler getting tryout with Raiders during rookie minicamp, per report
Getty Images A former Pro Bowl linebacker will be taking part in the Las Vegas Raiders' minicamp. Jaylon Smith, a former Dallas Cowboys second-round pick who hasn't played in a regular season game since 2023, is participating in the Raiders' minicamp on a tryout basis. Smith, 29, was drafted by the Cowboys back in 2016 with the understanding he would miss the entire season after he tore both his ACL and MCL during his final college game. In 2017, Smith made up for lost time by recording 81 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack while being a part-time starter on Dallas' defense. He became a full-time starter in 2018 and played an integral role in the Cowboys' NFC East division title and divisional round playoff appearance. Smith then enjoyed two more highly productive seasons with the Cowboys that included his first […]
Fórmula Indy faz prévia das 500 Milhas no misto do IMS; saiba onde assistir
Fórmula Indy tem duas emissoras principais no Brasil (Divulgação/IMS) A Fórmula Indy vai a pista do circuito misto do Indianápolis Motor Speedway neste sábado (10) na prévia das 500 Milhas de Indianapolis. Os torcedores que admiram a categoria vão ter duas opções para acompanhar a corrida. Na ESPN, a narração será de Thiago Alves com os comentários de Christian Fittipaldi e Victor Martins. No Alabama, etapa anterior, o canal linear esportivo da Disney abriu mão da cobertura por conta de outros compromissos de grade. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Categoria tem espaço na TV aberta Para aqueles que queiram acompanhar o evento, a TV Cultura é a opção. No canal público, Geferson Kern narra e Bia Figueiredo faz os comentários. Helio Castroneves tenta o penta nas 500 Milhas Helio Castroneves, que completa 50 anos de idade no próximo dia 10 e é um […]
Santos terá de pagar valor milionário a time português por negociação de zagueiro, diz Fifa
Santos pode levar transfer ban por dívida relativa a zagueiro Raul Baretta/ Santos FC) Mais uma vez o Santos terá de ser ver com cobranças feitas por outros times junto à Fifa. Nesta sexta-feira (9), o Uol Esporte informa que o clube foi notificado para pagar uma dívida relativa à compra do zagueiro João Basso junto ao Arouca (Portugal). De acordo com o portal, a dívida engloba, no total, R$ 15,9 milhões cobrados pelos português. Destes, a maior parte (R$ 12,7 milhões) vem do valores em si da aquisição do defensor. Os R$ 3.2 milhões restantes são os valores da multa com juros da dívida. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Risco de ‘transfer ban’ Na notificação da Fifa, o Peixe terá de pagar o débito em 45 dias e, em caso de não cumprimento de tal demanda, incluindo-se até a possibilidade de que […]
The pope is a White Sox fan: Baseball and the conclave collide in the holiest fandom twist
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)Every so often, baseball and the outside world collide in ways that feel more mythic than real. On the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman reveled in one such moment: when the brand-new pope turned out to be a Chicago White Sox fan.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLet’s break down why this story became instant baseball legend.First American pope bleeds black and whiteA new pope is big news. But this one hits different. As Mintz says, “All of religious history has led up to this. Yes, my dear friends, the pope is a White Sox fan.”It’s the sort of news that, as podcasters, you can’t wait to get behind the […]
Gary Bettman says there’s ‘interest’ in potential NHL expansion to Atlanta, but no timetable
SUNRISE, Fla. — Gary Bettman says the NHL’s two failed attempts at housing a team in Atlanta won’t prevent the league from considering the growing push to bring another expansion franchise to that market.The NHL commissioner made those comments just days after prospective Atlanta owner Vernon Krause told 11 Alive that his group was on the “home stretch” of completing its formal expansion pitch.AdvertisementThe NHL twice brought teams to Atlanta and saw them relocated. The Flames had an eight-year run there before moving to Calgary in 1980, while the Thrashers lasted 12 years before becoming the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. But those failed franchises won’t be held against a city that now features a metropolitan population exceeding 6 million.“I think it’s a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, […]
Red Sox owner John Henry meets with Rafael Devers one-on-one in Kansas City
In the wake of Rafael Devers publicly chastising the Red Sox brass on Thursday for requesting that he move to first base, Red Sox principal owner John Henry flew to Kansas City for a one-on-one meeting with the team’s franchise player.Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and CEO Sam Kennedy also made the trip to Kansas City, where the Red Sox are set to play three games this weekend. Henry, however, spoke with Devers alone, Breslow told reporters.Advertisement“John, Sam and I flew out earlier today, it was actually John who spoke directly with Raffy,” Breslow said on NESN. “We felt like it was important, based on the situation that unfolded yesterday, to come out here and have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox and that is […]
Related
Former Cowboys Pro Bowler getting tryout with Raiders during rookie minicamp, per report
Getty Images A former Pro Bowl linebacker will be taking part in the Las Vegas Raiders' minicamp. Jaylon Smith, a former Dallas Cowboys second-round pick who hasn't played in a regular season game since 2023, is participating in the Raiders' minicamp on a tryout basis. Smith, 29, was drafted by the Cowboys back in 2016 with the understanding he would miss the entire season after he tore both his ACL and MCL during his final college game. In 2017, Smith made up for lost time by recording 81 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack while being a part-time starter on Dallas' defense. He became a full-time starter in 2018 and played an integral role in the Cowboys' NFC East division title and divisional round playoff appearance. Smith then enjoyed two more highly productive seasons with the Cowboys that included his first […]
Fórmula Indy faz prévia das 500 Milhas no misto do IMS; saiba onde assistir
Fórmula Indy tem duas emissoras principais no Brasil (Divulgação/IMS) A Fórmula Indy vai a pista do circuito misto do Indianápolis Motor Speedway neste sábado (10) na prévia das 500 Milhas de Indianapolis. Os torcedores que admiram a categoria vão ter duas opções para acompanhar a corrida. Na ESPN, a narração será de Thiago Alves com os comentários de Christian Fittipaldi e Victor Martins. No Alabama, etapa anterior, o canal linear esportivo da Disney abriu mão da cobertura por conta de outros compromissos de grade. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Categoria tem espaço na TV aberta Para aqueles que queiram acompanhar o evento, a TV Cultura é a opção. No canal público, Geferson Kern narra e Bia Figueiredo faz os comentários. Helio Castroneves tenta o penta nas 500 Milhas Helio Castroneves, que completa 50 anos de idade no próximo dia 10 e é um […]
Santos terá de pagar valor milionário a time português por negociação de zagueiro, diz Fifa
Santos pode levar transfer ban por dívida relativa a zagueiro Raul Baretta/ Santos FC) Mais uma vez o Santos terá de ser ver com cobranças feitas por outros times junto à Fifa. Nesta sexta-feira (9), o Uol Esporte informa que o clube foi notificado para pagar uma dívida relativa à compra do zagueiro João Basso junto ao Arouca (Portugal). De acordo com o portal, a dívida engloba, no total, R$ 15,9 milhões cobrados pelos português. Destes, a maior parte (R$ 12,7 milhões) vem do valores em si da aquisição do defensor. Os R$ 3.2 milhões restantes são os valores da multa com juros da dívida. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Risco de ‘transfer ban’ Na notificação da Fifa, o Peixe terá de pagar o débito em 45 dias e, em caso de não cumprimento de tal demanda, incluindo-se até a possibilidade de que […]
The pope is a White Sox fan: Baseball and the conclave collide in the holiest fandom twist
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)Every so often, baseball and the outside world collide in ways that feel more mythic than real. On the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman reveled in one such moment: when the brand-new pope turned out to be a Chicago White Sox fan.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLet’s break down why this story became instant baseball legend.First American pope bleeds black and whiteA new pope is big news. But this one hits different. As Mintz says, “All of religious history has led up to this. Yes, my dear friends, the pope is a White Sox fan.”It’s the sort of news that, as podcasters, you can’t wait to get behind the […]
Gary Bettman says there’s ‘interest’ in potential NHL expansion to Atlanta, but no timetable
SUNRISE, Fla. — Gary Bettman says the NHL’s two failed attempts at housing a team in Atlanta won’t prevent the league from considering the growing push to bring another expansion franchise to that market.The NHL commissioner made those comments just days after prospective Atlanta owner Vernon Krause told 11 Alive that his group was on the “home stretch” of completing its formal expansion pitch.AdvertisementThe NHL twice brought teams to Atlanta and saw them relocated. The Flames had an eight-year run there before moving to Calgary in 1980, while the Thrashers lasted 12 years before becoming the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. But those failed franchises won’t be held against a city that now features a metropolitan population exceeding 6 million.“I think it’s a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, […]
Red Sox owner John Henry meets with Rafael Devers one-on-one in Kansas City
In the wake of Rafael Devers publicly chastising the Red Sox brass on Thursday for requesting that he move to first base, Red Sox principal owner John Henry flew to Kansas City for a one-on-one meeting with the team’s franchise player.Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and CEO Sam Kennedy also made the trip to Kansas City, where the Red Sox are set to play three games this weekend. Henry, however, spoke with Devers alone, Breslow told reporters.Advertisement“John, Sam and I flew out earlier today, it was actually John who spoke directly with Raffy,” Breslow said on NESN. “We felt like it was important, based on the situation that unfolded yesterday, to come out here and have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox and that is […]
Be the first to leave a comment