Defense and a great running game. These are Cleveland Browns hallmarks. All of those Marty Schottenheimer teams that played in three AFC Championship Games featured a really good defense with a run game that was difficult to stop. Paul Brown had both with guys like Jim Brown, Ernie Green, Marion Motley, and Bobby Mitchell.
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And now, new Browns head coach Todd Monken is bringing all of this back to the franchise. Monken’s superpower has been taking a stagnant offense and transforming it into one of the best.
Oklahoma State went from #88 to #11 in two years. At LSU, his offense began at #42 and finished at #9. With Southern Miss, he inherited an offense ranked #112, and in his third season they were #13. Georgia’s offense struggled nationally at #49 when he was hired, and went to #38, then to #9, and finally #5 with two National Championships.
In 2024, the Baltimore Ravens, with Monken as the OC, were ranked #1 offensively. They averaged 424.9 yards per game. Scored 65 touchdowns. The #1 rushing team in the league, averaging 187.6 rushing yards per game and tied for second with 41 rushing TDs.
RB Derrick Henry was ranked #2 in the NFL all three years that Monken ran Baltimore’s offense. He had 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. The year before, Henry busted out for 1,921 yards with another 16 scores, which tied for the league lead.
None of this is a coincidence. Monken equals offensive production.
And what Monken has already in his stable is Quinshon Judkins. Could Judkins become the league’s new Derrick Henry?
Well, okay. Strike that. That’s not a great comparison, after all, Henry is 6’-2”, plus a beefy 252 pounds and runs like a dump truck whose brakes have failed. He is a linebacker holding the ball. Q is 6’-0” and 221 pounds, but he can also bring the wood on running plays.
Todd Monken on Quinshon Judkins: “Looked pretty good to me. Obviously, there’s been a couple of days he gets a little sore, which is normal, but no one works harder. And you talk about a competitive spirit, and we don’t even get to see him run. I think his rare trait is he’s a… https://t.co/n6aQyH7iy8
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) May 20, 2026But Judkins is going to become the key to this new Browns offense. Monken requires a bellcow to run the ball, and Judkins arrives front and center. He is a beast on his own, but is more like a UPS truck whose brakes have failed. In college, he won the Conerly Trophy for the best college football player in the State of Mississippi while attending Ole Miss. In his one season while at Ohio State, he balled out with 1.567 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Judkins addressed the media regarding his return from injury:
“I had an offseason to prepare. I feel the same, if not better. Making it through rehab was its own journey.”
He brings the mustard with the running game. Monken’s offense is predicated on multiple tight ends, a quarterback who can read a defense and play the short passing game, and a runner who isn’t afraid to lower his head and play catch in the passing game.
In training camp so far, he has looked quick and explosive. No signs of his leg and ankle injury from last year. This isn’t knee-related, so both have healed as God intended. Injuries that involve the knee or Achilles are often viewed as ones that can take away aspects of a running back’s true abilities, such as being able to cut, accelerate, and decelerate.
Judkins addressed his rehab from his injuries:
“I spent a lot of the offseason just trying to be consistent day in and day out, just putting myself and preparing myself for this type of situation where I had to physically be available. At the same time, to just putting a lot of stress on my body so that when I came back, I was ready. Just fortunate with our staff here and every day attacking rehab. I feel good.”
Judkins is one of those guys who can be a solid back in the league, and then again, he can bust out and be a Top-5 back.
This will be determined by plenty of things. For one, the offensive line. If OT Dawand Jones does not start in Week 1, this would mean all of Cleveland’s starting five along the offensive line from last season have been replaced. Has any NFL team replaced their entire offensive line from one year to the next? Ever?
Judkins has seen firsthand the offensive line’s transformation for better or worse:
“I think we have a great group of guys up front. So, all of my belief is in them and our coaches. Physically, we will be able to do what we’ve always done. The mindset and mentality as a team is going to carry us over the top. These guys are really physical. They’re smart football players and have a lot of experience. Playing with them is just a natural connection. They communicate well.”
An offensive line is not five individuals, but one group. They have to gel and get acclimated to each other and work as one common unit. Especially along the interior, where the center and both guards need to work off of each other and know where their counterpart will be in certain situations, such as stunts.
Another situation is the fact that this is a new offense. Not every player will be on the same learning curve as others. Monken requires a lot of pin-pull and trap plays to be successful. This offense has been described as a sophisticated attacking system with heavy formation manipulation. None of this happens overnight.
Still, again, an aid to the running game is a successful passing attack. The QB situation with the Browns is widely known as a huge question mark. There are plenty of new faces in the receiver and tight end rooms. That is a ton of new equations that must be deciphered every week.
Love you too pic.twitter.com/Gplb391hl1
— CEO (@CEOtkhn) October 21, 2025Judkins didn’t have much of an opinion on which quarterback should be the starter:
“For me, I just embrace it. Because each and every one of those guys is different and talented in their own different ways. I can tailor my game by just how they play and how they communicate.”
It is not a huge ask for Judkins to have a 1,200-yard season in 17 games. However, Monken’s offense has goals of at least 1,500 yards for his main back and another 500-600 yards for his secondary runner.
In his rookie year, he was used sparingly in the short passing game with just 36 targets, 26 receptions, and 171 yards. Those numbers are about to explode. Monken is a good play caller and has shown he can adapt.
Now, his blocking needs work.
Judkins’ goals for the year?
“I don’t try to put pressure on myself by saying I want to do certain things. It’s just really going out there and competing, taking it one day at a time, and going out there and accomplishing my team goals. As a competitor, you definitely want to be the best you can. And that’s what our goal is – to be the best.”
Then there is the part where Monken coached Derrick Henry while he ran the offensive side of the Ravens. In three consecutive seasons under Monken, Henry ranked #2 in the league, and in 2024 he almost eclipsed that sacred 2,000-yard-in-a-season mark. Has Judkins even entertained the notion that he might become the next running back stud in the league?
“I remember Coach Monken when I was in college (at Ole Miss), and he was with Georgia. I just remember how they ran the ball, and it was just like, man. That’s a super smart guy. And the way that everybody does everything up front, and the way that he uses the scheme. For me, I’m just excited to be in this offense and just do what I do. Training is the key.”
So, let the games begin.
And perhaps during the Monken era, the Browns fanbase just might include Q in that registry of famous Browns running backs such as Leroy Kelly, Kevin Mack, the Pruitts, Earnest Byner, Nick Chubb, Eric Metcalf, Dub Jones, Leroy Hoard, Bo Scott, and Isaiah Crowell. Who, of course, are all included with Brown, Motley, Mitchell, and Green.
Monken himself said it better:
“Quinshon’s just a bull. He’s a downhill powerful man. And it’s fun to watch. He’s hard to bring down, and he’s got something inside of him from a competitive standpoint.”
Not exactly a dump truck. Maybe a QPS truck.
What are your expectations for Judkins this year in Monken’s offense?
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