The Cleveland Browns are widely considered to be arguably the worst team in the Super Bowl era of the NFL. While they won eight championships from 1946 to 1964, they have never won the Super Bowl, let alone made an appearance in the Big Game, even though they have been around for every Super Bowl season in the league's history. Despite that, there have been quite a few great players to suit up for the Browns, but who is the best of the best? That is the question we are attempting to answer here, so without further ado, here are the ten greatest Cleveland Browns players of all time.
10. Myles Garrett
Position: DE
Years with Browns: 2017-Present
Notable Accolades: 2023 DPOY, five-time Pro Bowl, five-time All-Pro
It's scary what Myles Garrett has managed to achieve in just seven seasons in the NFL. After being selected with the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, Garrett had incredibly high expectations surrounding him, and he's managed to surpass them in flying colors. He is one of the league's premier sack artists, as he's racked up double-digit sacks in every campaign except his rookie year, where he still managed to drop the quarterback seven times in just 11 games. Garrett was at his dominant best in 2023 (42 tackles, 14 sacks, 17 TFL, 30 QB Hits, 3 PD, 4 FF, 1 FR), and he is firmly in his prime for the Browns. It's impressive that he's already cracked this list, and with a few more strong seasons, Garrett should easily be able to crack the top five of this list.
9. Marion Motley
Position: FB, LB
Years with Browns: 1946-1953
Notable Accolades: 1950 Pro Bowl, Four-time All-Pro, 1950 NFL Champion, Four-time AAFC Champion, Hall of Famer
Marion Motley was one of the first all-time greats to the field for the Cleveland Browns. Not only did he help break the color barrier in the NFL alongside fellow teammate Bill Willis, but he was also an exceptional player on the field. Motley led the league in rushing yards twice in 1948 and 1950, while also leading the league in rushing touchdowns in 1949 with eight. He also played linebacker on defense from time-to-time, as his crushing hitting style led to him forcing five fumbles in his only First-Team All-Pro season in 1950. And as if that wasn't enough, Motley returned kicks for every now and then Cleveland too. His impact on the game is still felt today, and his strong career earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
8. Leroy Kelly
Position: RB
Years with Browns: 1964-1973
Notable Accolades: Six-time Pro Bowl, Four-time All-Pro, 1964 NFL Champion, Hall of Famer
The Browns were upset to lose Jim Brown after he retired in 1965, but they quickly turned things over to Leroy Kelly, who picked up right where Brown left off. After getting handed the starting running back job in 1966, Kelly ripped off three straight First-Team All-Pro seasons in which he led the league in rushing touchdowns all three seasons, and in rushing yards in 1967 and 1968. Kelly remained productive after those three seasons, but he wasn't able to hit the same heights ever again after that. Similar to Brown, Kelly's peak was incredibly high, and he managed to sneak into the league right as the Browns won their last championship in 1964. Kelly's career gets overlooked sometimes due to the fact that he replaced Brown, but there's no doubt he was a star in his own right, and he rightfully was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
7. Clay Matthews Jr.
Position: LB
Years with Browns: 1978-1993
Notable Accolades: Four-time Pro Bowl, 1984 Second-Team All-Pro
It's not hard to see how Clay Matthews III became one of the top tackling machines in the NFL when looking at his father's career. Clay Matthews Jr. entered the league with a billing as a freak of nature at the linebacker position, and he certainly lived up to that description. He led the NFL in tackles three times, while also racking up 12 sacks in one of those seasons in 1984, when he earned his only All-Pro selection of his career (despite somehow not making the Pro Bowl.) Matthews relentless motor allowed him to play until he was 40 years old, with his final three seasons being spent with the Atlanta Falcons. While he wasn't exactly a superstar, Matthews' consistently great play for the Browns helped him earn his reputation as one of the team's greatest players of all time.
6. Joe Thomas
Position: LT
Years with Browns: 2007-2017
Notable Accolades: Ten-time Pro Bowl, Eight-time All-Pro, Hall of Famer
Joe Thomas might have had one of the most unfortunate careers in NFL history. From pretty much the moment he entered the league, Thomas was the best left tackle in the game, but the Browns never managed to even make the playoffs during his time with the team. That didn't deter Thomas from going out and giving it all, as he protected whoever was under center for Cleveland during this time with aplomb. Thomas was a Pro Bowler in every season but his final year in the league, which also happened to be the only season of his career in which he was forced to miss games due to injury. Had Thomas managed to play another couple of seasons, he probably would be in the top three of this list, and he was quickly inducted into the Hall of Fame after he called it a career.
5. Lou Groza
Position: OL, K, DT
Years with Browns: 1946-1959, 1961-1967
Notable Accolades: Nine-time Pro Bowl, Six-time All-Pro, Four-time NFL Champion, Four-time AAFC Champion, Hall of Famer
If you want proof that the NFL was a much different game back in its inception, look no further than Lou Groza's career. Groza was primarily a kicker and an offensive lineman, but he also played as a defensive tackle on occasion too. Groza helped revolutionize kicking in the NFL, as he led the league in field goals made six times, and helped show teams that kickers could actually convert field goals from longer distances. Beyond that, Groza was a star offensive lineman from 1948 to 1959, until he took a year off in 1960 before returning to close out his career strictly as a kicker. Groza enjoyed a lot of winning with the Browns, as he was a part of all eight of their championships, and he was a no-doubt Hall of Fame inductee once he called it a career.
4. Gene Hickerson
Position: RG
Years with Browns: 1958-1973
Notable Accolades: Six-time Pro Bowl, four-time All-Pro, 1964 NFL Champion, Hall of Famer
Jim Brown got all the praise for his skills out of the backfield for the Browns, but he needed a great offensive line to run behind too, and he certainly had that. We already noted Groza who helped out early on, but a guy who had an even bigger impact on the o-line was Gene Hickerson. A skilled guard for the entirety of his career, Hickerson wasn't actually all that effective during his time working with Brown, but he figured things out in a big way once Kelly took over the backfield. Hickerson earned all six of his Pro Bowl selections from 1965-1970, which was easily the best stretch of his career. He helped the Browns win their last title in 1964, and he was another easy choice for the Hall of Fame once he called it a career.
3. Dick Schafrath
Position: LT
Years with Browns: 1959-1971
Notable Accolades: Six-time Pro Bowl, Three-time All-Pro, 1964 NFL Champion
Hickerson's partner in crime for pretty much his entire career was Dick Schafrath, who somehow isn't a Hall of Famer. Regardless, Schafrath was one of the first great left tackles in the NFL, as he quickly made the starting spot his own, helping both Brown and Kelly establish themselves as superstar running backs. The best stretch of Schafrath's career came from 1963-1965, when he was a first-team All-Pro in each of those seasons, while playing at an incredibly high level in both the run and pass game. Schafrath didn't have the longevity that Hickerson had, as he eventually lost his job in 1971, but he still was a crucial piece of the Browns success during the 1960s, and it's a shame that he hasn't found his way into the Hall of Fame yet.
2. Otto Graham
Position: QB
Years with Browns: 1946-1955
Notable Accolades: Five-time Pro Bowl, Eight-time All-Pro, Three-time MVP, Three-time NFL Champion, Four-time AAFC Champion
The first great quarterback in the NFL, Otto Graham was integral to the Browns coming out of the gate hot after their inception. Graham wasn't even a full-time starter in his first two seasons, but he still led the league in passing touchdowns in 1946, and then earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 1947. Graham led the league in passing yards five times and passing touchdowns three times, while helping the Browns win seven championships during this time. He won three MVP awards in 1951, 1953, and 1955, which ended up being his final season. Graham's retirement shocked the Browns, but he had already accomplished pretty much everything there was to accomplish by the time he called it quits. Graham was vital to the only real stretch of success Cleveland has enjoyed in their history, and he was an easy choice to make it to the Hall of Fame once he retired.
1. Jim Brown
Position: RB
Years with Browns: 1957-1965
Notable Accolades: Nine-time Pro Bowl, Eight-time All-Pro, 1957 ROY, Three-time MVP, 1964 NFL Champion, Hall of Famer
There isn't a player more synonymous with the Cleveland Browns than Jim Brown. In just nine seasons, Brown established himself as one of the greatest running backs of all time, a conversation he still finds himself in to this day. Brown was a Pro-Bowler in all nine of his seasons, with the only season he wasn't a First-Team All-Pro coming in 1962, which was also the only season of his career in which he didn't lead the league in rushing yards. Brown won three MVP awards as well, and was a key piece of the Browns most recent championship team. Even though he was still fully in his prime at 29 years old, Brown opted to call it a career after 1965, but his legacy was already secure by that point. Brown is one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game, but if he played a couple more seasons, there's a decent chance the greatest running back discussion wouldn't even exist because of him.
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