The Cleveland Browns could go into Sunday’s AFC North game against the Baltimore Ravens with a backfield made up almost entirely of newcomers, after lead running back Quinshon Judkins returned to practice Friday on a limited basis and was listed as questionable with the ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 against the New York Jets.
Judkins missed practice Wednesday and Thursday after leaving the Jets game and the stadium in a protective boot on his right foot — what head coach Todd Monken called an ankle “tweak.” Through five games the second-year back has carried 73 times for 221 yards and one touchdown, averaging 3.0 yards per carry, and added 18 catches for 102 yards, but his workload Sunday could be reduced even if he is cleared to play.
Cleveland moved during the week to rebuild its depth behind him. The Browns placed Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who was hurt against the Jets and had served as the team’s primary kick returner, on injured reserve with a hip injury, and signed running back Audric Estime to the 53-man roster off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.
Estime, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2024 out of Notre Dame. He has played 20 career games — 13 for Denver as a rookie and seven for New Orleans last season — rushing for 508 yards and three touchdowns on 122 carries, with 17 catches for 130 yards. He joined Minnesota’s practice squad on Sept. 30 and has not yet played in a regular-season game in 2026, but Cleveland’s injury list could put him in line for early-down work in his Browns debut.
The other healthy option is a familiar name to Ohio college football fans. Jaleel McLaughlin, who set the NCAA all-divisions rushing record with 8,166 yards at Notre Dame College and Youngstown State, has carried only twice for Cleveland this season — but one of those carries was a 28-yard touchdown in the Oct. 1 win over Pittsburgh. McLaughlin, who spent three seasons in Denver with Estime, said Thursday he was prepared for a bigger assignment.
Dylan Sampson will not rescue the depth chart this week. The back has been on injured reserve since suffering a knee injury in the opener at Jacksonville, and although he returned to practice, he was ruled out for Sunday, leaving McLaughlin and Estime as the only Browns backs who were not on the injury report at midweek — and neither was with the team in training camp.
That is a difficult hand to play against Baltimore, and it comes with Cleveland’s run game already struggling even when Judkins was healthy. Monken acknowledged the challenge this week, calling it part of the “next man up” reality of the season and saying the staff would see as the week went on who would be available. A final decision on Judkins is expected closer to kickoff Sunday, when the Browns host the Ravens in Week 6.