After an offseason that's been more cliffhanger than the Browns would have liked, rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is finally on the team roster, secured with a fully guaranteed rookie deal, confirms News 5 Cleveland. Judkins had been floating in the draft limbo after being picked 36th overall due to a tangle of legal woes and contract negotiations; the Browns and Judkins ironed out terms that include fully guaranteed money, finally putting pen to paper on a deal that was unusually long in the making for a rookie drafted in his position.
July had seen Judkins arrested on allegations of touch or strike battery/domestic violence, but like the fog over Lake Erie lifting, Florida prosecutors found the prospect of a conviction grim and have since dropped the charges, as detailed by NFL, however, the NFL has its own lens to peer through, which means the league's personal conduct policy could still put Judkins on the disciplinary radar even though the crow of criminal charges has flown away, meanwhile, the Browns are playing it safe by not slotting Judkins in for the season opener against the Bengals.
The procedural playbook has the Browns granted a two-game exemption for Judkins, allowing him to shuffle into practice sessions and familiarize himself with the team dynamic, but he won't be taking any snaps in live game action just yet, as they've decided not to count him among their 53-man active/inactive list for the start of the season, FOX8 News reports.
With the paperwork finally filed, Judkins' signing marks the end of an uneasy wait for a Browns team looking to bolster its backfield, even as they sidestep potential controversy surrounding their new recruit by giving him time to settle in without the immediate pressure of game day performances; it's a balancing act for a franchise that has all eyes on them after making what was a watchful, and perhaps wisely cautious, decision to hold off on the player's official addition until the muddy waters of legal scrutiny cleared, and now that they have, Judkins is free to focus on becoming the player Cleveland hoped for when they drafted him, although the NFL could still swing its disciplinary hammer down, if it finds reason enough in its ongoing investigation.
