Joe Thomas comes in at No. 25 on NFL Top 100 list

Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been a perennial bright spot for the team for a decade and his play was recognized on the NFL Top 100 list.

Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been so good for so long that there are people who are actually taking him for granted.

Ten seasons with the Browns and 10 consecutive Pro Bowls will do that, apparently, but there is one group that continues to appreciate Thomas’s sustained level of excellence: his peers.

The NFL has been releasing its annual Top 100 list, which is a vote of the league’s players, and Thomas checks in at No. 25.

Here is what NFL.com wrote about the selection:

"For the Browns and their nearly two decades of struggles, Joe Thomas has long been the lone bright spot. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro is beloved in Cleveland for his play and his goofy support of the city’s other pro franchises, and as the Browns look to turn it around, Thomas remains a stone wall at left tackle, falling just two places in the rankings while consistently protecting the Browns’ constantly rotating carousel at quarterback. The latest passer can find solace in the fact he has Thomas blocking for him. The rest of the team’s fan base does as much, even as the squad around him struggles for victories."

Thomas has been the anchor of the offensive line from the moment that the Browns selected him in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. This year his leadership will be even more important as the Browns have added two offensive linemen in free agency – center JC Tretter and right guard Kevin Zeitler – and will have a new starting right tackle, likely second-year player Shon Coleman.

The Browns will be looking to run the ball more behind that rebuilt offensive line after losing their focus far too often in 2016 and having Thomas as the foundation at left tackle makes everyone’s life a little easier on offense.

Next: Browns: Offseason earns a B from MMQB

There has not been much to cheer about since 1999 when it comes to the Browns, but Thomas has unquestionably been the team’s best player and often the lone bright spot.