Running Backs Coach Duce Staley (9.26.25)
Tommy (Rees) yesterday made the comment that with Quinshon (Judkins), it feels like he’s been here longer than just roughly three or so weeks in the season that he has been. Just how has he come along and how have you seen him handle an increasing role? It seems like it’s been increasing week-by-week.
“And truthfully, he has. When you go back and count OTA’s, camp, he has been here longer. Of course, he wasn’t here through training camp, but being able to come in doing OTAs and camp and be able to get the foundation of our offense was really good, and it’s showing up now of course. Q’s a smart kid, man. He’s studying, he’s always studied. He calls me all the time, asking good questions. We get a chance to talk over the phone and make sure that everything is good and tight. So, I have no worries when it comes to that.”
He’s obviously a kid that, as he gets more carries, it seems like he gets better as the game gets longer. Has it been thought about getting him more involved earlier to kind of accelerate that process?
“Yeah, that’s a sign of a good running back. It gets better as you get carries because, of course, you get into the mood and you kind of understand how things are going to be blocked, getting into your groove with the linemen. So, good running backs get better as they get the ball moving. Of course, Kevin (Stefanski) is conscious of that, and I’m pretty sure that as we go along and Q continues to progress, things will get better.”
With Dylan (Sampson), obviously played a bunch in that first game when Q wasn’t there, and then less in the last two weeks. So how do you find the right role for him now with Q back?
“Yeah. Well, with Q last week, of course, with the running game, we wanted to go downhill a little bit more. A little duo scheme and just kind of going straight downhill with Q, and we were able to be successful doing that. We’ll be able to Dylan is. Dylan being able to come out the first week, he was able to be elusive, as you saw, be able to catch the ball, make people miss, and also was productive in the run game when he had a chance with his carries. We’ll be able to get a one, two punch going along with Jerome (Ford), actually, one, two, three, punch along with Jerome.”
When you see what David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs even did last weekend, does that almost give you some visions of what you could see your guys do?
“Each team is different, and of course those are two great running backs over there, and those guys have been doing it now for a couple years. Being able to, once again, be that one, two punch. We’re looking to develop something like that here, of course, but you’ve got to find your groove.”
In the spring we talked about Dylan taking a bunch of reps in the slot receiver. Is that somewhere, some way you think you can maximize his talents and get him on the field more?
“No doubt.”
Q, he has the 38-yard run last week, the 31- yard run towards the end of the game the week before. Like how important are those kinds of explosive plays for him at this stage? He didn’t get like one a game, or every other game.
“It’s important for our offense to have those explosive run plays. Any explosive play, no matter run or pass. But, you’re talking about the two, of course Q had, it’s very, very important. We want to go into a game and get a certain amount of explosives in the run game and in the pass game. So, of course we look at those, and we’re searching and hunting for more.”
How about Adin (Huntington) being able to use him on offense? Just how does that help you?
“It’s been awesome, man. I see that kid come into the huddle, he lights up, he has a huge smile because he got the opportunity to knock somebody out. So, that’s what he’s coming in to do.”
Going back to Quinshon, just his pass blocking, there was a play against Green Bay (Packers), somebody was coming up the middle and he just sort of caught him and knocked him. Just how is he, the way he’s evolved as a pass blocker in an admittedly short time span. What have you seen of him there?
“Well, you were able to go back to the college film and also look at how aggressive he was as a pass blocker, as a protector and he takes pride in it. So, when I had a chance to meet with him this offseason, OTAs, we were talking through protections, and talking about the mentality with protections, and the approach. And from the chip on (Micah) Parsons, to the play that you’re talking about, he’s going to be aggressive. So, a couple things we got to continue to clean up in the protection, which you always got to clean things up. But as long as they have the mentality, you can coach them.”
After the game, that game tying touchdown, Quinshon said he wants the football in those situations. Do you see that in him every day? Just a guy that wants football in those big moments?
“And that’s what you want from your running back. You want a running back that wants the ball at all times. Now, he’s not going to be able to get it, of course, at all times, but that’s why you harp on, when you do get the opportunity to take full advantage of it. But he definitely has that.”
Is he the kind of runner that gets stronger as the game goes along, and will be able to hit that home run probably in the fourth quarter?
“Yeah, I mean, like we just talked about that earlier, every good runner gets stronger as the game goes along, simply because they’re getting their carries and they’re able to of course, get a good feel from the line, understand how the defense is playing, being able to make adjustments on the sideline, you’re breaking tackles, you get stronger.”
Is that what you saw in those back-to-back carries that started that first scoring drive Sunday?
“Yes, yes, I did, I was able to see exactly that. Coach saw it too. So, that’s why coach was able to call it the way he did.”
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