After all, his rehabilitation has been successful. He has participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. According to reporters, he appears to be the same physical, explosive runner he was last season.
“(He’s) got his confidence back, his explosion. We’ll just see when he gets the pads on, but looks good,” Browns coach Todd Monken said of Judkins.
RB agreed with his coach.
“Yeah, I would say, like you said, confident,” Judkins said. “I know the work I put in. So I’m ready to just go out on the field.”
We won’t be able to fully gauge Judkin’s recovery until the pads come on in training camp and physical activity begins. When he can get a full hit on the leg repeatedly, we’ll see if that confidence holds.
If Judkins is indeed 100% heading into the season – and can remain so – he’s the clear leader who should get the bulk of the early competition with Dylan Sampson at third. After losing Jerome Ford in free agency, the Browns did not add to the roster this offseason, aside from a few undrafted free agents, indicating they are confident in Judkin’s recovery and ability to carry the load.