The Cleveland Browns revamped their running back room in the 2025 NFL Draft.
They spent valuable draft capital to land Ohio State star Quinshon Judkins, and they doubled down on that by also taking Dylan Sampson a couple of rounds later.
Unsurprisingly, that now means that Jerome Ford might be the odd man out, even after taking a pay cut.
With that in mind, team insider Tony Grossi reported that Ford will most likely enter the season as their RB3:
“[Jerome] Ford was due to make about $3.5 million in 2025. He agreed to a pay cut to a guaranteed $1.75 million. Why did the Browns propose a pay cut? Because they plan to turn over the feature running back duties to Quinshon Judkins, with Dylan Sampson as the probable top backup. Opportunity may thrust Ford into a more prominent role, but right now he looks like RB3 and will enter free agency in 2026,” Grossi wrote.
Of course, that’s not necessarily a death sentence, as there’s always a chance that he can outgrow that spot and even reclaim his spot as the starter, but it seems like it would take a whole lot for that to happen, maybe even including injuries.
It feels like the Browns would’ve cut the cord on Ford and released him if he didn’t agree to take that pay cut, and he will now have fewer touches to prove that he can be their running back for the future.
Ford was efficient in limited carries, but he didn’t look like the explosive workhorse running back the team needed to replace Nick Chubb.
Judkins and Sampson have the potential to be one of the strongest one-two punches in the game, provided the offensive line goes back to its dominant ways and holds its own this season.
As for Ford, the team could still bring him back on a team-friendly deal in free agency, but it wouldn’t be shocking if this was his final season with the Browns.
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Jack Conklin Reveals Browns’ ‘Emphasis’ This Season
