Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Dylan Sampson

Wednesday, July 30, 7:20 PM

Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN noticed that Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (undisclosed) progressed to participating in team drills at training camp practice on Wednesday. Ford returned in a limited capacity during Monday's practice but took a step forward on Wednesday by joining team drills. An undisclosed injury kept the 25-year-old out of practices for a week, but the Browns are now slowly easing him back into the fold. It's a bigger story this summer with rookie second-rounder Quinshon Judkins unsigned as he goes through the legal process due to domestic-violence charges. Ford will be splitting first-team reps with rookie Dylan Sampson now that he's back on the field, and he could see the majority of touches early in the 2025 season, depending on when Judkins' off-field situation is settled. Ford is currently ranked by RotoBaller as the RB53 in fantasy.

Sunday, August 3, 2:29 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Jerome Sampson is "essentially playing the 1-B role" next to veteran Jerome Ford, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. A fourth-round rookie out of Tennessee, Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games last season for the Volunteers. With second-round running back Quinshon Judkins still unsigned by the team due to a July arrest, Sampson appears to be in line for a significant role as a rookie. Ford is entering his fourth season in Cleveland, but he's never truly earned a workhorse role throughout a full season. The backfield mix for the Browns will remain a bit muddled until Judkins' legal situation gets ironed out, but it sounds like Ford and Sampson will share the workload relatively evenly while Judkins is out.