During the first half of the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Shedeur Sanders threw a swing screen to Quinshon Judkins. Bills linebacker Matt Milano read the play perfectly, and was behind the line of scrimmage to tackle Judkins as soon as he caught the ball.
Unfortunately, the rookie running back didn’t jump right up like he usually does.
Judkins instead had his right leg placed in an air cast and was carted off the field, with the Browns ultimately announcing that the running back suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle on the play.
Sanders, who threw Judkins the ball on the play, admitted that it hurt to watch his fellow rookie go down, and that he also felt some guilt for throwing the pass, even though that’s where the ball was supposed to go.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders on losing Quinshon Judkins to injury. Said he felt bad because he threw the pass. pic.twitter.com/iqew8BqEc2
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) December 21, 2025
Shedeur Sanders admits to feeling guilty after Quinshon Judkins’ injury
Sanders explained that the backside slant was covered, so his only option was throwing the screen to Judkins, which blockers had set up for. Of course, the injury wasn’t the rookie quarterback’s fault, it was just an unfortunate thing that happens in the brutal sport of football. It makes sense, though, that Sanders was feeling all kinds of emotions after watching a close teammate go down.
“It was definitely sad, because … that was my only option (based on the coverage)," Sanders said. "I feel bad, because I threw it. Truthfully... yeah. It hurts.”
The rookie quarterback explained that on Saturday, he and Judkins were up late in their room just talking about life. Sanders explained that he has been building a tight bond with the running back, and with the entire rookie class. The group recognizes their talent, and they’ve made it clear they want to infuse the franchise with their energy, and eventually get things turned around.
The group has given Cleveland a ton to look forward to, but Judkins’ season will unfortunately come to an early end. The rookie running back is expected to be sidelined for about four to five months, if everything goes well, which would give him the opportunity to be back on the field in the spring. That should give Judkins the chance to rejoin his promising class on the field for the start of the 2026 season.