How Browns reportedly plan to handle Quinshon Judkins after arrest

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins' status is unknown after he was arrested on charges of battery and domestic violence regarding an alleged incident said to have occurred on July 7. 

Judkins had not yet signed his rookie contract as of Wednesday, and it seems he may not be among the first-year players who report to training camp Friday. 

"The Browns are in no rush to sign Quinshon Judkins to his rookie contract or get him to camp on time as they continue to gather information on his legal matter," Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Tuesday. "Furthermore, they’ve stressed to Judkins and his agent, Todd France, that Judkins must make his domestic incident the high priority over football." 

Cabot added that the Browns "are taking their time investigating what transpired between Judkins, 21, and his then-girlfriend, before they turn their attention to getting him signed and on the football field." 

As shared by ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi and NFL.com's Grant Gordon, Judkins has been accused of hitting the previously mentioned woman "with a closed fist in the chin/lip area" and "in the left arm and thigh while in a car leaving Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport on July 7." 

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Judkins could be punished per the terms of the NFL's personal conduct policy even though the ball-carrier hasn't signed his Browns contract. Cabot previously wrote that "a six-game suspension without pay is the standard for a first violation involving physical force, but it can be adjusted based on mitigating or aggravating factors."

The Browns selected Judkins in the second round of this year's draft before they grabbed fellow running back Dylan Sampson in the fourth round as part of the club's pivot away from veteran Nick Chubb, who signed with the Houston Texans. As of early May, the expectation was that Judkins could compete with Jerome Ford for Cleveland's RB1 gig. Per ESPN stats, Ford led the 2024 Browns with 565 rushing yards.  

Earlier in the week, The Athletic's Jacob Robinson noted that Judkins is among 30 of 32 second-round picks who haven't yet signed rookie contracts after Cleveland's Carson Schwesinger and Houston's Jayden Higgins received fully guaranteed deals. Cabot indicated that Browns personnel will now spend at least a portion of the summer discussing whether or not they "want Judkins on the team if they determine he really did repeatedly punch his then-girlfriend."

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski seemingly wants a strong running game to make life easier for whoever wins the four-way competition for the starting quarterback job between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-round choice Shedeur Sanders. The situation could change, but it appears Stefanski will plan as if Judkins won't be part of Cleveland's offense anytime soon, if at all.