Cleveland’s late-season evaluation mode took another hit after Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, because the game ended with two rookie headlines the Browns didn’t want: Shedeur Sanders dealing with a painful finger issue and Quinshon Judkins suffering a nasty lower-leg injury that immediately put a damper on everything else.
The Browns announced on X that Judkins underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a fractured fibula and ankle dislocation, and that he has been placed on injured reserve.
That update provides clarity on what the visuals already suggested. This is season-ending, and now the focus shifts from snap counts to rehab timelines and getting the rookie back clean for 2026.
Judkins had been carving out a role as both a runner and a checkdown option before the injury, and losing him removes one more developmental rep from an offense that’s clearly trying to build around its young core.
The injury also hit Sanders hard at the moment. After the game, he described how much it hurt to see Judkins go down, especially after the two spent time together the night before just talking and building that rookie-class bond.
It’s the kind of detail that makes the moment feel heavier than just “next man up,” because it’s a locker room thing as much as it’s a depth chart thing.
Sanders, meanwhile, had his own issue to manage after he hurt his pinky while throwing. He explained that his finger didn’t feel right when he tried to warm it up, and that he noticed it after a pass to Judkins came out a bit high.
Kevin Stefanski praised Sanders for battling through it and for the way his mobility kept plays alive.
Stefanski also doubled down on his support for the rookie quarterback afterward. He said the team will learn from the late-game moments, but emphasized he still feels good about Sanders in those situations and has “all the faith in the world” in him.
For a 3-12 team, none of this is about style points anymore. It’s about getting Sanders through the year, getting Judkins healthy, and making sure the Browns don’t waste the little bit of young momentum they’ve actually managed to find.
