Browns Hit the Emergency Glass: Dylan Sampson to IR, Jaleel McLaughlin Elevated

The Cleveland Browns are exactly one game into the 2026 season and already hitting the emergency glass on their backfield.

Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Cleveland is placing running back Dylan Sampson on injured reserve and elevating Jaleel McLaughlin from the practice squad.

"Adam Schefter reported the roster move, noting Sampson's placement on IR and McLaughlin's signing."

Sampson wrecked his left knee in the first quarter of Sunday's 34-10 Week 1 disaster against the Jaguars. When a player leaves the stadium on crutches and wearing a brace, you don't need an insider source to know his immediate future involves a lot of daytime television.

This is a brutal break for a guy who was supposed to be a reliable piece of the rotation after putting up over 400 total yards last season. Instead, Sampson is out for significant time, leaving Cleveland scrambling to patch a hole before the season even gets its shoes tied.

Enter McLaughlin, who officially graduates from practice squad purgatory to the active roster. He had a respectable 496-yard rushing campaign back in 2024 with the Denver Broncos, but last year he barely cracked 180 yards on the ground. Now he is being asked to step into a live NFL backfield for a team that just got boatraced by 24 points.

For anyone looking at Cleveland's rushing props or fantasy depth charts, this is the kind of chaos that ruins a Sunday ticket. Relying on practice squad elevations to save your ground game in mid-September is a math equation that rarely ends in a payout.

The Browns need to figure out their offensive identity immediately. If McLaughlin cannot instantly produce, Cleveland's backfield is going to look like a revolving door of desperation signings before the leaves even change color.