Cleveland Browns Joe Thomas earns 8th All-Pro nod
By Thomas Moore
Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was named to the AP All-Pro team for the eighth time in his career.
Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been a lone bright spot for the Cleveland Browns since being drafted with the third overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft.
He continued that trend on Friday when he was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team for the eighth time in his nine seasons with the Browns. It was also the sixth time that Thomas has been named a first-team member.
Thomas can add the latest honor to his ninth Pro Bowl selection, which ties him with Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Lou Groza for the most in franchise history. Thomas is the first offensive lineman in league history to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight seasons.
Browns fans are hoping this won’t mark the final time that Thomas represents the team. With the Browns going through their biennial restructuring of the front office and coaching staff, Thomas gave some hints this week that he may have seen enough.
“It doesn’t make you happy when you have to go through another coaching change,” Thomas said the day after the season-ending loss to Pittsburgh. “It is tough on everybody. Coaching changes and organizational changes always set you back. It is a tough process to go through. Nobody is happy about it, and it is never easy.
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“I think it remains to be seen who we bring in here and how they go about the process, who we get for a head coach and for a GM, who we get in free agency. There are a lot of things that are going to go into this process coming up here that hopefully will put us in the right direction.”
If Thomas were to seek a trade it would add to the questions already facing the Browns this off-season.
Center Alex Mack has the option of opting out of his contract to become a free agent, and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is an unrestricted free agent, so the thought of the Browns losing up to 60 percent of what is the lone strength on the team is not a pleasant one.
Hopefully the new front office team of Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta, along with head coach and general manger to be named later, appreciate the value of having a strong offensive line – especially if the Browns decide to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.