The Cleveland Browns had a very Brownsian offseason, trading for Kenny Pickett, signing Joe Flacco, taking Dillon Gabriel in the third, and then taking Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. If you’re keeping track, that’s four quarterbacks, none of whom are starter-quality in the NFL. They are trying to distance themselves from the Deshaun Watson of it all, so it’s probably a great thing that rookie Quinshon Judkins still isn’t officially a Brown, thanks to a domestic violence charge levied against him. Oh, Cleveland, never change.
Overdrafted:
Quinshon Judkins, Running Back (RB36, Pick 103 Overall)
While his ADP has dropped precipitously due to the aforementioned domestic violence allegations, I have to reiterate: he is not a Cleveland Brown yet. It is August 3, and the NFL season starts in a month and a day, but he’s not on a roster. He never signed his contract, and Jimmy Haslam has not talked to him for at least a month, though he remains “cautiously optimistic” about Judkins becoming a Brown.
The Browns are waiting for the situation to develop before signing Judkins to his contract, which means we’re likely at least three weeks away from resolving his legal issues and finalizing the agreement. I guess that he will then be placed on administrative leave pending the league’s review, followed by a suspension. It’s unlikely we’ll see him for more than eight games this season, at best. Never mind him being a monster, I don’t want any of that uncertainty anywhere on my roster. I was a huge Quinshon Judkins fan after the draft (I had him top-fifteen at running back), and every week that passes, I drop him another round. He’s currently my RB60.
Underdrafted:
David Njoku, Tight End (TE8, Pick 88 Overall)
David Njoku is one of two viable pass catchers on the Browns, and even if you don’t believe in the passing game, you still have to believe in David Njoku. He’s produced with every quarterback not named Deshaun Watson that he’s come across in recent years. Whether it was P.J. Walker, Jacoby Brissett, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, or Joe Flacco, he just produced. Since Deshaun Watson came over in 2022, Njoku played 15 games with him and 22 games without him. In those 15 games, he averaged six targets, four catches, and 37.3 yards per game (9.3 PPR points). In the 22 games without Watson, Njoku averaged eight targets, 5.4 catches, and 56 yards per game (13.4 PPR points). That split stayed true last season, as Njoku averaged 14.6 PPR points per game without Watson.
There’s no Watson this season, and Njoku has proven himself to be quarterback-proof. I have no qualms about considering David Njoku above the blob. He’s a guaranteed smash click for me in any draft.
Sleeper:
Jerome Ford, Running Back (RB51, Pick 151 Overall)
Ford is my RB32 in my preseason rankings for a straightforward reason: Quinshon Judkins won’t be there, or at least, he won’t be there for a long while. Ford will return flex value (at least) in Judkins’ absence, and he’s essentially free. Ford has 23 games without Chubb over the last two seasons, and in those games, he’s averaged 11.9 PPR points per game. That’s not a game-changing amount, but it is handy in deeper leagues, as that amount was RB28 last season on a per-game basis, ahead of Brian Robinson and Rhamondre Stevenson.
Ford will get plenty of opportunities to produce, and his only competition is rookie pass-catching back Dylan Sampson. I will rely on Ford as a flex running back when things get tough, or if I need to wait and see how my Hero RB’s second running backs perform.
