Young RBs take baton from departed Nick Chubb
The start of Browns training camp comes on July 18 when the rookies report to Berea. The veterans will arrive on July 22, one day before the first full-squad practice.
That means it's time to dive into the Browns' position groups as they stand at this point heading into training camp. On July 11, it was the quarterbacks who were previewed.
Now, it's time to look at the running backs which, for the first time since 2017, won't include Nick Chubb. So who's here? Let's take a look.
Cleveland Browns running backs
Jerome Ford
Troy Hairston (fullback)
Quinshon Judkins*
Ahmani Marshall*
Dylan Sampson*
Pierre Strong Jr.
(* — denotes rookie)
Into the numbers: Cleveland Browns RBs
Nick Chubb departed as a free agent to the Houston Texans after having climbed to No. 3 on the Browns all-time rushing list with 6,843 yards in 85 career games. However, a 2023 knee injury and a 2024 foot injury, both season-ending, limited him to just 503 yards and three touchdowns on 130 carries over the final 10 games of his Cleveland career.
Ford became the Browns' primary running back over the last two seasons in Chubb's absence. He rushed for 1,372 combined yards and scored seven touchdowns on 308 carries in those two seasons, with another 81 receptions for 544 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Judkins was selected in the second round with the No. 36 overall pick out of Ohio State, where he rushed for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns on 194 yards. That came after running for a combined 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns on 545 carries over two seasons at Ole Miss.
Sampson, the No. 126 overall pick in the fourth round of April's draft out of Tennessee, led the SEC in rushing and was its Offensive Player of the Year with 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns on 258 carries. He had 164 combined carries over his first two seasons with the Volunteers.
Strong's next carry will be the 100th of his NFL career, which started in 2022 with the New England Patriots. He's also one yard shy of 500 career rushing yards.
What they're saying: Cleveland Browns RBs
Browns running backs coach Duce Staley on Ford and Strong, from June 12: "He fits in great, without a doubt. I mean, Jerome has definitely a great skillset, of course, you know about his speed. He's able to pick up the blitz and catch the ball. So I'm excited to see Pierre. Pierre has been working his ass off, came back in great shape, so I'm excited to see all four of them go at it."
Judkins on replacing Chubb, from May 9: 'Nick Chubb is a great running back. He's done a lot of great things here. I'm excited to come in and do what I can, and me and Dylan both contributing to the team. Start my own legacy. I think the coaches [are going to] put me in a great position to do that.'
Sampson on what he and Judkins can do for Browns, from May 9: "Yeah, if we all go out here and handle business throughout training camp and there's also some guys who've been here, so it's a competition all over. But I think this is the blueprint of the league, the best way it works with running backs. It's a long season so you want as many people as you can to go in there and split reps and do good for the team. That keeps everybody fresh. You see it all across the league, and I think we have an opportunity to do that here."
Training camp analysis: Cleveland Browns RBs
The July 12 arrest of Judkins in Broward County, Fla., on a domestic violence charge creates another major question mark for the Browns in terms of his availability pending the legal process and/or any league-issued discipline. As for on the field, the departure of Chubb was an emotional one, not just for the fans but also his now-former Browns teammates. However, the drafting of Judkins and Sampson not only signaled the team was going to be going away from the star running back, but also a recommitment to the power run scheme that was a Kevin Stefanski specialty when he arrived as head coach in 2020. Specifically, it's the wide-zone run scheme popularized by Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak with the Denver Broncos in the 1990s. Although the focus has been on the two draft picks, Ford and Strong provide some NFL experience for the position, especially Ford, and will also be part of the equation.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns 2025 camp position preview: Nck Chubb gone, young RBs now in
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