The Opening Drive 12/23: Judkins Avoids Worst Case Scenario and Browns Get A Break With 2026 Schedule That Avoids Any Cross-Country Travel

Browns reveal some good news regarding Judkins brutal Injury and interesting edge is revealed in 2026 schedule.

Matt Starkey/Cleveland Browns

After the serious injury to promising young running back Quinshon Judkins, some good news emerged on Monday morning. Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski informed reporters that Judkins will undergo surgery this week to repair the dislocated ankle and fractured fibula he suffered during the first half of Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. While the injury is still brutal, Stefanski confirmed that Judkins was fortunate to avoid any ligament damage in his knee.

With Judkins set for surgery soon, Mary Kay Cabot reported a projected recovery timeline of four to five months for Cleveland’s second-round rookie and leading rusher, giving him a chance to be ready for spring OTAs.

Stefanski sounded like he was aware that the team avoided what could have been an even more disastrous outcome with the positive injury news on Monday.

“Quinshon (Judkins), he’ll get surgery this week, up here. Expect him to make a full recovery. And like we talked about last night, knowing the kid, he’ll bounce back better than ever. So, disappointed for him, but he’s in good hands and he will bounce back.”

Judkins has provided a great deal of their offense this season and has flashed extreme promise in just his first NFL season, and while the Browns appear to have avoided the worst possible scenario with his injury, how well he returns is still somewhat unpredictable. At the very least, it will likely affect how they approach depth at running back in 2026. It becomes an area to keep an eye on as it could provide some indication of the team’s expectations as we get away from the season and personnel decisions are made in the draft and free agency.

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(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

With two weeks remaining in the 2025 regular season schedule, the Browns have secured a last-place finish in the AFC North. According to radio announcer Andrew Siciliano, this means that the Browns’ opponents for the 2026 season, both home and away, are already decided.

As the Browns look ahead to 2026, one element of the schedule stands out immediately: There are no West Coast trips.

No long flights. No 1 a.m. body clocks. No short weeks paired with cross-country travel. For a franchise potentially navigating a coaching transition, a quarterback reset, and a roster recalibration, that detail matters more than it might initially seem.

Coast-to-Coast travel is taxing on teams already fighting an uphill battle. The Browns have lived that reality, facing awkward kickoff times, flat early starts, and performances that felt out of sync from the opening drive. Eliminating those travel variables doesn’t guarantee wins, but it does remove one of the league’s most consistent disruptors.

Browns 2026 Schedule Home Opponents

• Baltimore Ravens

• Cincinnati Bengals

• Pittsburgh Steelers

• Houston Texans

• Indianapolis Colts

• Atlanta Falcons

• Carolina Panthers

• Las Vegas Raiders

Browns 2026 Schedule Road Opponents

• Baltimore Ravens

• Cincinnati Bengals

• Pittsburgh Steelers

• Jacksonville Jaguars

• New Orleans Saints

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Tennessee Titans

• New York Giants

• New York Jets

If 2026 is indeed a transitional year, whether that means a new head coach, a young quarterback, or both, the schedule’s geographic certainty will help, as will a team’s ability to keep a routine week-to-week. The Browns will have more standard preparation weeks than most other teams in the league, who will deal with cross-country travel, which gives them a slight advantage.

The timing of games, bye weeks, prime-time games, and more also plays a significant role in a team’s scheduling edge, which we won’t know until the schedule is released, usually in mid-May.

Final Note: The Saints are expected to host the first NFL game in Paris, France, next season, which potentially means the Browns could end up overseas for a second straight season. The Paris game has not been made official yet.

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