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Browns RB Dylan Sampson Facing Extended Absence After Knee Injury

By JR·2 min read
Browns RB Dylan Sampson Facing Extended Absence After Knee Injury
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Dylan Sampson was on crutches after Cleveland's Week 1 loss in Jacksonville, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says the Browns running back could be out for a while.

  1. Cleveland's backfield took a hit before Week 1 even really got going. Dylan Sampson suffered a knee injury early against the Jaguars and never made it back onto the field, and now the Browns are bracing for the worst.

    Jeremy Fowler
    Jeremy Fowler
    @JFowlerESPN

    Browns RB Dylan Sampson is expected to miss significant time due to the knee injury suffered Sunday in Jacksonville, per sources. Sampson was spotted on crutches after the game.

    Jeremy Fowler: Browns RB Dylan Sampson is expected to miss significant time due to the knee injury suffered Sunday in Jacksonville, per

    Per Jeremy Fowler, Sampson is expected to miss significant time, and the image of him leaving the building on crutches only reinforced how bad this one looks. Sampson barely got a shot to touch the ball on offense before he went down, which makes the injury sting even more given how much Cleveland was counting on him carving out a role this year.

    Sampson arrived in Cleveland as the Browns' first pick of Day 3 in the 2025 NFL Draft, going in the 4th round at No. 126 after a Tennessee career that ended with him leading the SEC in rushing and winning SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He was supposed to be part of the answer in a crowded Cleveland backfield this season, not a name on the injury report in Week 1.

    With Sampson out, the load shifts elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins stays the clear starter, but expect Raheim Sanders to see a bigger workload in the passing game, and Jaleel McLaughlin — signed to the practice squad earlier this month — is now a name worth knowing if the Browns need to elevate a body.

    None of that changes the bigger concern: knee injuries that put a guy on crutches and draw a "significant time" tag from a reporter like Fowler don't usually resolve themselves in a couple of weeks. An injured reserve stint is very much in play, which would mean Sampson's second NFL season is essentially shot before it started.

    The Browns will have more clarity once further testing comes back, but for now this is a wait-and-see situation — and a tough break for a rookie-class running back who was supposed to be carving out touches, not watching from the sideline in a brace.

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