Jerome Ford Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Browns RB Quinshon Judkins did not practice on Wednesday. He was in New York City meeting with the league about the domestic violence allegations against him. We'll see where that goes in terms of a potential suspension, but we'd be surprised if the Browns deemed Judkins ready to play vs. the Ravens this weekend. His absence would again leave the backfield to Dylan Sampson, Jerome Ford, and Raheim Sanders.

The Cleveland Browns used a pair of 2025 NFL Draft picks to reinforce their backfield. One day after getting the first of those picks, Quinshon Judkins signed, fourth-rounder Dylan Sampson had a strong NFL debut. Sampson led the Browns with 29 rushing yards (2.4 YPC) and was tied for second on the team with 8 targets. Sampson reeled in all 8 of those looks for 64 yards, totaling 93 scrimmage yards in Cleveland's 17-16 home loss to the Bengals.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brown RB Quinshon Judkins is expected to meet with the league office this week about his domestic violence incident. Judkins could play as soon as next week vs. the Packers.

The Browns are signing RB Quinshon Judkins to a fully guaranteed contract ahead of Sunday's game, according to multiple reports. The second-round pick, of course, spent most of the summer navigating domestic assault accusations that ultimately did not produce criminal charges.

The Browns started RB Dylan Sampson with the first-team offense in Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams. Jerome Ford rotated with him, though, edging Sampson by one snap, one route, and one target while matching Sampson's two carries, according to Pro Football Focus. Pierre Strong and Ahmani Marshall each took the field as well before QB Joe Flacco left but worked behind the first two. Strong logged just two of his five carries before the starters left, and none of the RBs stood out statistically.

Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned even after charges were dropped against him for domestic violence. Adam Schefter of ESPN suggested that the deal may not be completed until the NFL investigates the allegation. It is unclear if this could drag out to the regular season.

Cleveland RB Quinshon Judkins will not face formal charges and should return to the team in the near future, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Tuesday that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that rookie RB Quinshon Judkins will play for the team in 2025, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.

Browns RB Jerome Ford missed practices Wednesday and Thursday to open training camp because of an undisclosed injury. HC Kevin Stefanski says the injury "happened over the last couple of weeks," according to Cleveland.com. He also says Ford is "progressing well" and that he "would be OK." Ford's absence presents obvious opportunity for fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson, with RB Quinshon Judkins also out following domestic-violence charges.

Browns RB Quinshon Judkins was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and charged with battery and domestic violence. No further details are available at this point.

Browns GM Andrew Berry called RB Quinshon Judkins a "bellcow" and a "very versatile" back on Friday night. Cleveland made Judkins the third RB off the board, selecting him 36th overall.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot indicates that RB Nick Chubb has likely played his last game for the Browns. The impending free agent has reportedly said he wants to return and likely won't command a big contract. But Cabot says it's "probably not going to happen."

The Browns promoted TE coach Tommy Rees to OC. The 32-year-old becomes the youngest OC in the league. Rees was Notre Dame's starting QB just 12 years ago. He quickly flamed out in the NFL before getting into coaching. He most recently served as Notre Dame's OC from 2020-2022 and Alabama's OC in 2023 before joining the Browns last year. According to NFL Network, HC Kevin Stefanski is expected to take back over as the play-caller after giving those duties to former OC Ken Dorsey last year. The biggest question in Cleveland, of course, is who will be under center in 2025. QB Deshaun Watson is expected to miss most, if not all, of the season after re-tearing his Achilles. QB Jameis Winston is a free agent. We've already heard QB Kirk Cousins connected to Cleveland after he spent two seasons under Stefanski in Minnesota. Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, meanwhile, notes that Rees coached QB Jalen Milroe at Alabama. Milroe is expected to be a first- or second-round pick in this spring's draft.

Browns RBs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong (concussion) are out for Saturday's game vs. the Ravens. That leaves D'Onta Foreman and John Kelly as the healthy RBs on the active roster. RB Jacob Kibodi is on the practice squad. Foreman is the favorite for carries this weekend but is not an appealing fantasy play. The Browns are 18.5-point underdogs with an 11.5-point implied total.

Browns RBs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong (concussion) were sidelined for Tuesday's practice. Both guys are in danger of missing Saturday's game vs. the Ravens. That'd leave D'Onta Foreman as Cleveland's likely lead back. RB John Kelly is also on the active roster, with RB Jacob Kibodi on the practice squad. The Browns are 17.5-point underdogs with a 12.25-point implied total in Baltimore, so this is a backfield to avoid in Week 18 fantasy lineups.

Browns RB Jerome Ford injured his right ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more. RB D'Onta Foreman has taken over as Cleveland's lead back.

Update: Ford returned for the start of the second half.

The forecast for this afternoon's Dolphins-Browns game calls for sustained winds of 15-25 mph with gusts over 35. There's a chance for rain during the second half, but the winds are the real story here. They figure to impact the passing and kicking games. With Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center for their respective teams, this figures to be a low-scoring, run-heavy affair.