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Who are the top Cleveland Browns of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Clay Matthews: a stalwart of the Browns’ linebacking corps for 16 seasons, Matthews racked up 1,400+ total tackles with Cleveland (including eight seasons with 100+) en route to four Pro Bowl selections.
9. Paul Warfield: an explosive downfield receiving threat who averaged over 20 yards per reception for his career, Warfield played eight seasons with the Browns across two stints and was a 3x Pro Bowler during that span, leading the league with 12 touchdown catches in 1968.
8. Marion Motley: one of the stars of the post-World War II era, Motley spent eight seasons with the Browns and twice led the league in rushing yards, resulting in a pair of All-Pro nods, a Pro Bowl selection, four AAFC titles, and one NFL title.
7. Dante Lavelli: the leading receiver in Browns’ history until Ozzie Newsome, Lavelli starred for a decade plus in the 1940s and 1950s, leading the league in receiving once, making three Pro Bowls, and winning four AAFC and three NFL titles.
6. Ozzie Newsome: spending his entire 13-year NFL career with Cleveland, Newsome had two 1,000-yard seasons and earned three Pro Bowl and one All-Pro selection, retiring with Browns records of 662 receptions and 7,980 receiving yards, and also scoring 47 touchdowns.
5. Leroy Kelly: the heir apparent to Jim Brown at running back, Kelly was a Hall of Famer in his own right – across his decade in Cleveland, the 6x Pro Bowler and 3x All-Pro won an NFL title, finished top-five for MVP 3x, and led the league in rushing yards in back-to-back years and rushing touchdowns for three consecutive seasons.
4. Joe Thomas: arguably the dominant offensive lineman of his era, Thomas played his entire 11-year NFL career at left tackle for the Browns, earning 10 Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections.
3. Lou Groza: nicknamed “The Toe”, Groza played an astounding 21 seasons with the Browns and was one of the first great placekickers, earning nine Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections while also playing offensive tackle; the award for college football’s best placekicker is named after him.
2. Otto Graham: the winningest quarterback in NFL history in terms of winning percentage, Graham was a 2x AAF and 3x NFL MVP who led the Browns to championships in seven of his 10 professional seasons (4x AAFC champion and 3x NFL champion) while earning five Pro Bowl and seven All-Pro selections.
1. Jim Brown: a 3x MVP, 9x Pro Bowler, and 8x All-Pro who led the NFL in rushing yards 8x in nine seasons played (all with Cleveland), Brown averaged 5.2 yards per rushing attempt and is the only player to average over 100 rushing yards per game (104.3) en route to then-career records of 12,312 rushing yards and 106 rushing touchdowns; moreover, he led the Browns to the 1964 NFL title, the most recent championship in team history.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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