Toa Taua helps team’s RB depth with Quinshon Judkins unsigned and Jerome Ford hurt
The Cleveland Browns return to the practice fields in Berea on Monday with a lot up in the air. QB Kenny Pickett is injured but to what severity? RB Quinshon Judkins is unsigned with no clarity on his legal process. Will QBs Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel take advantage of more opportunities to make a case for the starting QB job?
The pads go on for the first time in this year’s training camp on Monday with the Browns dealing with some injury issues (Jerome Ford specifically) along with Judkins’ absence at the running back position. Adding Toa Taua was reported this weekend but the team made the move official on Monday:
Taua (5-9, 215) is in his first NFL season out of Nevada. He has spent the past two seasons with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL. Taua led the UFL in rushing touchdowns last season. He appeared in 59 games at Nevada and rushed for 3,995 yards and 33 touchdowns. Taua will wear No. 35.
As noted in Barry Shuck’s background piece on Taua, the running back is a physical player:
His style to the end zone is to run over his opponent.
Much like WR Kisean Johnson, Taua hopes to make the most of his chance and the snaps available at the position in hopes of nabbing a roster spot. Cleveland needs someone to take those practice reps and hits which should give the newly signed Brown a lot of opportunities to make an impact.