Raheim Sanders enters fray in Week 1 loss

He gets the elevation after the Browns place Dylan Sampson on injured reserve. McLaughlin and Raheim Sanders will be behind Quinshon Judkins in Week 2. McLaughlin’s career shows him as a more reliable pure runner than Sanders, but we’re unsure of how the split behind Judkins will go from here.

Sampson returned a kickoff and played on a third down play against the Jaguars before exiting in the first quarter. He left for the locker room with a knee injury and was promptly ruled out. Third-string running back Raheim Sanders will get more run with Sampson out.

Sanders signed with the Chargers after going undrafted in April. He didn’t make their final roster, but the Browns scooped him up and gave him some short-yardage work in Week 1 with Quinshon Judkins unavailable. He scored a short touchdown and didn’t touch the ball again until Week 16, after Judkins went down with a season-ending injury. Sanders split work with fellow rookie Dylan Sampson over the final three weeks of the year. Judkins is locked in as the high-volume runner in Cleveland and Sampson can be penciled in for most of the work on passing downs in 2026. That doesn’t leave much room for Sanders, but he has made progress toward earning a roster spot next year.

Sanders drew the start in Sunday’s win over the Steelers, and handled six of his eight carries on the Browns’ first three possessions. His longest gain of the day came on a six-yard plunge on the first play of the game, and he also added a 10-yard reception in the fourth quarter. If Sanders finds himself in another split with Dylan Sampson next week, both backs will be hard to trust in Week 18 against the Bengals.

With Sampson officially active, the rookie fourth-rounder has a chance to lead the Browns’ backfield with Quinshon Judkins (leg/ankle) sidelined. When Judkins was inactive for Week 1, Sampson stepped up to lead the Browns’ backfield with 20 total opportunities, and caught 8-of-8 targets for 64 yards. Playing in a rain-soaked Cleveland, Sampson should be a safe bet for double-digit touches and plenty of check downs from Shedeur Sanders, who has made a living off targeting his running backs this season. While Sampson is active, the Browns did declare QB Dillon Gabriel, CB Myles Harden, OL Kendrick Green, OT Jeremiah Byers, WR Jamari Thrash, TE David Njoku, and DT Sam Kamara inactive for Week 17.

We still don’t know the specifics of Sampson’s hand injury that sidelined him for Weeks 15 and 16, but the rookie running back practiced every day this week and has a good chance of seeing a lead role for the Browns if he’s active. Sampson served as the Browns’ RB1 all the way back in Week 1, and wound up catching eight passes for 64 yards while adding another 12-29-0 on the ground. Sampson would have some appeal as an RB3/FLEX option if he’s available for this week’s fantasy championships. If Sampson is able to go, Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams would likely split backfield duties.

Sampson should be rostered wherever he is available. With RB Quinshon Judkins joining RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) on injured reserve after fracturing his fibula and dislocating his ankle, Sampson could operate as the Browns’ featured running back, if healthy, in Week 17. Among NFL RBs with 25-plus targets, Sampson (2.07) is the only player to average 2.00 yards per route run or more. He forces missed tackles as a rusher, 0.18 per attempt, at the same rate as Judkins, albeit via a much smaller sample. Sampson’s only competition for backfield touches is UDFA rookie RB Raheim Sanders.

Sanders saw most of his opportunities after Quinshon Judkins (leg/ankle) left in the second quarter. Sanders’ 11 carries wound up leading all Browns players on Sunday, but it was Trayveon Williams who served as the primary pass-catching back sans Judkins. Sanders saw eight of his 11 carries come on the Browns’ seventh possession of the game, and he fell a yard shy of a rushing touchdown that ended up being converted by Harold Fannin on the following play. Sanders could have some upside in Week 17 against the Steelers, but that will largely hinge on whether or not Dylan Sampson (hand) is able to get on the field.

He didn’t practice all week after having the “hand” listing added to his injury on Wednesday. Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams will back up Quinshon Judkins in Week 15, with neither player approaching the FLEX conversation at this point.

There’s nothing surprising here. The Browns enter Week 6 against the Steelers as close to full strength as possible. Defensive tackle Mike Hall was the only player carrying an injury designation into the weekend and was ruled out on Friday.