In the wake of a brutal injury to ascending young running back Quinshon Judkins came a glimmer of good news on Monday morning.
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that Judkins will have surgery this week to repair the dislocated ankle and fractured fibula he sustained during the first half of Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. While still a severe injury for any NFL player, Judkins was able to avoid any ligament damage in his knee, Stefanski confirmed.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins is set for surgery this week for his ankle dislocation and fractured fibula, per Kevin Stefanski.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) December 22, 2025
No damage to any knee ligaments.
With Judkins set for surgery right away, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported an expected four-to-five month recovery timeline for Cleveland’s second-round rookie and leading rusher, which gives him a shot to be ready for spring OTAs.
Stefanski sounded like a coach who knows his team dodged the worst-case scenario with a young player who’s been really coming on.
“Expect him to make a full recovery,” the coach said. “Knowing the kid, he’ll bounce back better than ever. So, disappointed for him, but he’s in good hands and he will bounce back.”
As bad as the injury looked when Judkins caught a pass from Shedeur Sanders out and the flat and was immediately cut down at the leg by Bills linebacker Matt Milano, Monday’s news was about as good as the Browns and their fans could’ve hoped for.
The Cleveland Browns are literally limping to the finish line in 2025
Judkins now joins a long list of Browns players who have gone down with injuries this season.
Running back Dylan Sampson, tight end David Njoku, cornerback Denzel Ward, guard Wyatt Teller, and defensive linemen Mike Hall and Sam Kamara were among those ruled out for Sunday’s game against Buffalo. That’s not even counting guys like Jack Conklin, Ethan Pocic, Jack Conklin, and Maliek Collins already on injured reserve.
At this point, the 2025 season feels more about survival than anything. Sanders was the Browns’ leading rusher Sunday with 49 yards — on four scrambles. Cleveland’s leading receiver was practice squad running back Trayveon Williams with four catches for 38 yards.
It goes without saying that team leaders like Myles Garrett and Sanders will continue to do everything they can to stay on the field over these final two games of the season. But the Browns are literally running out of bodies, and at this point, fans can only hope for the team to hold onto its current top-three slot for the 2026 NFL Draft, and avoid any more catastrophic injuries that could impact the start of the new league year.