Browns get news they didn’t need with offensive weapon expected to miss significant time with injury
The hits keep on coming for the Cleveland Browns from their first game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Cleveland Browns dropped their 2026 season opener to the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-10, and the blowout loss came with a costly injury. Second-year running back Dylan Sampson went down with a knee injury during the first half and is expected to miss significant time, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Sampson attempted to return to the game but was later ruled out. Following the loss, he was seen on crutches with a brace around his knee, though a specific timeline has not been disclosed.
Dylan Sampson’s absence leaves a hole in Cleveland’s offense
Losing Sampson is about more than depth at running back. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound back served as the Browns’ starting kick returner and primary third-down running back. Cleveland valued him most as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Sampson only had 175 rushing yards last season across 15 games, but he posted 271 receiving yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns as a rookie. His change-of-pace skill set complemented starting running back Quinshon Judkins, and the Browns will miss that dynamic going forward.
A fourth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, Sampson was part of the Browns’ plan to build their backfield with two rookies in the post-Nick Chubb era. He and Judkins were placed on the same timeline to fill out the running back room, and now that plan takes a hit before the season can gain any traction.
What comes next for the Browns at running back
With Sampson sidelined, Cleveland will lean on Rahiem Sanders as the No. 2 running back behind Judkins. The Browns will likely make a move to add another body at the position, whether from the practice squad or the free-agent market.
The injury compounds an already rough start to the season. The Browns entered Week 1 relatively healthy outside of defensive end Alex Wright, who suffered an Achilles injury during training camp and was lost for the year before the regular season began. Now Sampson joins that list.
If not for a garbage-time touchdown, the 34-10 final against Jacksonville would have looked even worse. It’s a tough way to open the year, and losing Sampson for the foreseeable future is not the news the Browns wanted heading into Week 2.
