On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns lost to the Buffalo Bills 23-20. The matchup, their fourth consecutive loss this season, also cost the Browns their running back. 

Quinshon Judkins will undergo surgery for his dislocated ankle and fractured fibula. His absence will affect the team, and quarterback Shedeur Sanders opened up about his feelings on Judkins’ injury. 

In a post-game conference, Sanders shared that he and the running back developed a bond, and that Judkins’ injury pains him.

“It really hurt that Quinshon went down”, he said. 

“Me and Quinshon were in the room talking yesterday til 11-11:30 just about life, just about everything. Just building that bond. Truthfully, it hurts.”

Sanders also touched on the importance of building trust within the rookie class and expressed his respect for Judkins’ persistence.

“Just the type of person he is. I know he been through a lot, just building that bond, just building that bond with the rookie class. So knowing he went down ike that, it's sad.”

Sanders’ Team Dynamics

The rookie shut down a reporter when asked about head coach Kevin Stefanski’s game call against the Bills. He said such questions create tension within the team and shouldn’t be asked.

“A lot of the players get these type of questions. But when you ask questions, it’s like you pinning stuff against each other.”

The match-up against the Bills was a close call. Judkins suffered from injuries after he was tackled in the second quarter. The 22-year-old, taken off the field immediately, finished Week 16 with 22 rushing yards on eight carries and recorded five receptions for 29 yards.

Stefanski is confident Judkins will recover well and bounce back. Breaking down the details to the press, he said he is disappointed and sad for the player. And reassured, he will be back in no time.

"Obviously, very disappointed for the young man, he will bounce back," Stefanski said. 

"I have zero doubt about that with him. But you never want to see that with any of your guys. He'll be back in no time, I know that."

Judkins is the latest addition to a plethora of injured Browns players. Sanders played without tight end David Njoku, with a knee injury, running back Dylan Sampson, who injured his hand, and right tackle Jack Conklin, out due to a concussion.

There are only two more games left for the Browns this season. With so many injured players in an already disappointing 3-12 season, Sanders is by himself. 

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das