<\/p>\n
It came on the Browns\u2019 last possession of a game that had long been decided, but Quinshon Judkins\u2019 31-yard run in the fourth quarter Sunday in Baltimore was the longest play of Cleveland\u2019s season. And for an offense searching for anything, it can be a starting point.<\/p>\n
Judkins is now listed as the starting running back on the team\u2019s unofficial depth chart. After he ran through two tackles on that rush and showed an ability to keep piles moving, it won\u2019t be a surprise to this week\u2019s opponent, the Green Bay Packers (2-0), that more involvement for Judkins will be part of the game plan as the Browns (0-2) look for a spark and some consistency.<\/p>\n
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that the unofficial depth chart is handled by the team\u2019s media relations staff and is aptly named as \u201cunofficial.\u201d The backs will likely continue rotating situationally, but expect Judkins to again start and get more than the 10 rushing attempts he received in Week 2. He had 13 touches on 20 snaps in his NFL debut.<\/p>\n
Judkins signed his rookie contract the day before the season opener. He missed all of training camp and the preseason following a July arrest on domestic violence charges that were dropped in mid-August, then he missed a day of practice last week while meeting with the NFL about the alleged domestic incident. The league\u2019s investigation remains open, but he\u2019s playing for now \u2014 and will be doing so a lot going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuinshon did great,\u201d Stefanski said. \u201cWe want to continue to bring him along from a conditioning standpoint, (and with) understanding all the nuances of the scheme. So, that will only grow each week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe missed the opportunity to be tackled in preseason and training camp and those types of things. (There\u2019s) continuously a part of ramping him up and getting tackled, having great ball security, catching the football, all those types of things that he missed. But we\u2019re obviously ramping him up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Runs of 10-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards are often referred to as explosive plays. Judkins\u2019 31-yard gain was the only rush over 10 yards for Cleveland this season, and creating more explosive plays has to be part of the team\u2019s search for answers.<\/p>\n
The offense has been plagued by poor blocking, dropped passes, interceptions and an inability to create space for ball carriers and pass catchers. Nothing will come easy versus a Packers team allowing an NFL-best 3.7 yards per play through two weeks. In both games, Green Bay has jumped out to early leads and then turned up a pass rush that\u2019s created a league-best 41 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n
Besides more work for Judkins, what has to change this week?<\/p>\n
More time to throw for Joe Flacco would help. The numbers say the Browns have created six explosive pass plays, but defenses have both taken away the deep ball and put consistent pressure on the 40-year-old quarterback. Just 24 of Flacco\u2019s 90 pass attempts have traveled more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, per TruMedia.<\/p>\n
Both of Flacco\u2019s interceptions in Week 1 came off dropped passes that deflected into the air. The Browns\u2019 seven dropped passes are the third most in the league, per TruMedia, and four of those came on passes thrown either to or past the first-down marker.<\/p>\n
Pro Football Focus grades new left tackle Dawand Jones as 90th among 94 players who have played tackle in the season\u2019s first two weeks. Jones\u2019 backup, KT Leveston, was flagged for holding against the Ravens when the Browns removed Jones from the game for what Stefanski called heat-related reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve played OK, pretty average,\u201d Jones said Wednesday. \u201cNothing over the top, but definitely got room for improvement, and I can\u2019t wait to do it this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2025\/09\/17184744\/GettyImages-2235466631-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Jones said Stefanski chose to remove him from Sunday\u2019s game as a precaution and that it was a \u201ccoach\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
The whole line group has to be better, and the Browns hope veteran right tackle Jack Conklin can return after missing Sunday\u2019s game with an elbow injury. Conklin was a limited participant in last week\u2019s practices.<\/p>\n
The Packers are tied for second in the NFL with eight sacks and also rank in the top 10 in pressure rate and defensive success rate through two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Green Bay) has a good front that always presents challenges,\u201d Flacco said. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to stop the run and make you one-dimensional and then get after the passer. So, it\u2019s our job to match that physicality and do the best we can in those areas of the game. I mean, that\u2019s the constant battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time you\u2019re going against a team with a good front, though, obviously it\u2019s a challenge, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re getting ready to do this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three times since the end of Sunday\u2019s game, Stefanski has told reporters he\u2019s not considering a quarterback change. Rookie Dillon Gabriel replaced Flacco for the final possession against Baltimore because the game was out of reach, and Cleveland scored on the drive that started with Judkins\u2019 long run.<\/p>\n
But Stefanski has repeatedly said a quarterback change is \u201cnot our focus\u201d and that the Browns will continue to try to find ways to put together a cleaner operation and an offense capable of creating more explosive plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that panic is a word really for us (to use) as coaches or players,\u201d Stefanski said. \u201cWe focus on work. That\u2019s really what we hang our hat on. I trust the group we have. I trust that we can get better from a fundamental standpoint, from a certain schematic standpoint. A lot of (what) happens is when you get some small improvements in a bunch of areas, it makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Browns\u2019 defense ranks second, just behind Green Bay\u2019s, in yards allowed per play, at 3.8. The Browns trailed only 10-3 at halftime in Baltimore after the Ravens blocked a punt and scored on a short-field situation after starting at the Cleveland 24. Baltimore then scored after returning an interception to the Cleveland 5-yard line early in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, it goes back to playing complementary football,\u201d Stefanski said. \u201cIt\u2019s our job on defense to get stops and take the ball away. It\u2019s our job on offense to take that ball and score with it and then play the field position game when necessary. It\u2019s our special teams\u2019 job to control field position and return the ball better than (our opponents) return the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when you play complementary ball, I think the offense does their job of possessing it, keeps the defense on the sideline and the defense gets out there and gets their stops.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The second-round rookie had 71 total yards (61 rushing, 10 receiving) in his NFL debut in Week 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[202,204],"class_list":["post-32982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-fantasy-football"],"yoast_head":"\n