In the midst of another trying season for the Cleveland Browns, one of the team’s lone bright spots of 2025 saw his season end in Week 16. Quinshon Judkins was carted to the locker room following an ugly lower-body injury in Cleveland’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
From the moment of the injury, it seemed apparent that Judkins’ rookie campaign was over. However, the prognosis for such a serious-looking situation might not be as bad as members of the Browns, or their fans, may have initially feared.
Kevin Stefanski’s Upbeat Update on Quinshon Judkins
Though obviously not thrilled about losing his top running back to injury, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski seemed relatively unconcerned about Judkins’ long-term prognosis.
Stefanski told reporters that he was “obviously very disappointed for the young man,” yet maintained that “he will bounce back. I have zero doubt about that.”
He added that “[Judkins] will get surgery and be back in no time.”
On Monday, Stefanski confirmed that Judkins will soon have surgery to address his injury, and the running back has avoided any major knee injury. “Stefanski said Quinshon Judkins will undergo surgery here in Cleveland and will make a full recovery,” wrote Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot on X. “He said he doesn’t have knee damage in addition to the broken fibula and dislocated right ankle.”
With only two games left in a regular season where Cleveland sports a 3-12 record, Stefanski’s focus likely isn’t on the Browns’ running back depth over the next two weeks. Instead, he was likely concerned that, if knee ligament damage was the official prognosis, the No. 36 overall pick from April’s draft might have also missed a significant portion of next year’s schedule.
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Judkins had surgery on Tuesday, and there was an update regarding his recovery timeline. “Browns say 4-6 months recovery time for RB Quinshon Judkins after successful surgery on fractured fibula & dislocated ankle,” wrote Tony Grossi on X.
Top Browns Insider Revealed Official Prognosis for Judkins
Stefanski’s attitude after the game was likely influenced by a report that Browns fans officially got publicly on Sunday night.
Cabot announced on X that league sources expect Judkins to be officially out for four to five months due to a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle.
It ultimately proved to be true as the rookie is now confirmed to miss a similar amount of time. This timeline would put Judkins in a position to maintain most of Cleveland’s upcoming offseason activities, looking ahead to 2026. Voluntary OTAs will take place in late May or early June.
How Will Judkins’ Recovery Impact the Browns’ Offseason?
Since Judkins dodged ligament damage in his knee, and with a projected return by the summer, the Browns can expect to head into camp with the former Ohio State star healthy and ready for his sophomore season.
Remember, as a result of a domestic incident last July, the running back missed almost all of training camp leading into 2025. He still handled 256 total touches this year, which was potentially the reason that Judkins, who averaged 70.1 rushing yards in his first eight games as a Brown, petered out to only average 44.3 rushing yards per contest over his last five efforts, including the first half of Sunday’s loss to Buffalo.
Cleveland has 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so the team may decide to add a depth option to a running back room that only includes Judkins and 2025 fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson under contract heading into next season.
