When the Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 NFL regular season, there weren't many concerns about the running back position.
After all, the front office spent all season focused on building up the offensive line, picking a starting quarterback and developing a young wide receiver room. Of all the positions, the running back room seemed to be the last thing on anyone's mind.
However, after the first six weeks of the campaign, it has jumped to the top of the priorities list.
Both starting running back Quinshon Judkins and backup Dylan Sampson ended up injured at the same time. Judkins missed a Week 6 win against the Baltimore Ravens due to an ankle injury, while Sampson was ruled out in Week 1. He unfortunately ended up on the injured list.
At this time, neither has been cleared for Week 7 when the Browns take on the Tennessee Titans on the road in Nashville.
So who is going to step up for the running back room?
In order to replace some of the lost depth, the Browns' front office went out and signed running back Audric Estime from the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad early last week.
Finding at least one body to pair with Jaleel McLaughlin, who was also thrust into a bigger role with Rahiem Sanders ending up on the injured list, was a big-time need for the Browns.
While Estime was somewhat of an unknown, having only rushed for 234 yards and three scores across his first two seasons in the NFL, he impressed in his debut with the Browns.
On nine carries, Estime recorded 19 yards and one touchdown, picking up two first downs as well. When the ball was in his hands, he had a 55.6% success rate. While his average yards per game was certainly down, his usage, especially in power-needed positions, led to this difference compared to his averages in 2024 and 2025.
But even then, the former Notre Dame standout was still able to find the end zone after just joining the franchise days before his debut.
That alone is promising.
“I just followed the blocker,” Estime said postgame when asked about what led to him finding six. “And the coaches trusted me. They said when we got down there that I was going to get in the end zone. I had confidence in myself. I didn’t know how it was going to look, but I really had confidence that I was going to get in the paint.”
With more time to get acclimated to the team both on the field and off, and more time for the coaches to get him more intertwined into the system, Estime could carve out a nice role for himself heading into Week 7.
At this point, the Browns are just trying to keep the run game afloat while they await the return of Sampson, Judkins and Sanders, and as long as McLaughlin can affect the game outside the hashes and Estime can get to work in the trenches, the Browns don't need to make a move at the deadline.
Instead, they can lean into the two they have on the roster now, with the hope that by the time Judkins and Sampson are fully good to go, the team is still playing competitive football.
Neither Sampson nor Judkins are supposed to be out for too long of a time period; however, any sort of leg injuries are going to slow running backs down. The Browns will want to play it safe, especially up the gut, so keeping Estime around is going to be important.
And at the end of the day, there is very little downside to letting a 23-year-old get another chance at establishing himself in the league.
“(Estime) shows up (at practice) on Wednesday and, heck, he’s taking meaningful snaps and scores a touchdown (a few days later),” Monken said about him in an article in The Athletic. “So that says a lot about the depth of our team and the expectations of the position, which you should have.
"You should have expectations of any player on your roster playing at a high level."
The Browns and Estime return to the gridiron Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1:00 p.m. EST from Nissan Stadium.
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