Cleveland Browns: Exciting times according to Joe Thomas
By Randy Gurzi
Ever the optimist, Joe Thomas believes exciting times are ahead for the Cleveland Browns. Will he be a part of that as a fan, or a player though?
Things are exciting right now for the Cleveland Browns. Well, that’s at least according to left tackle Joe Thomas.
Thomas has been the epitome of dependability on a terrible franchise for years. Now with his future in the balance, he’s looking at the Browns with some rose colored glasses.
The reason for that is easy to see. Cleveland owns a plethora of picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, and if they actually use them — rather than continuing to kick the can down the road for more picks — it could alter their entire franchise.
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That’s the reason why Thomas decided to share his joy for the future while appearing as a guest on the Cavs HQ Podcast.
"“It’s an exciting time to be involved with the Browns, to be a fan.” Thomas said on Cavs HQ according to Matthew Florjancic of WKYC. “To be sitting there with the No. 1 and No. 4 pick and like the 33rd and 35th or something like that, there’s four picks that we have in the first 35 or 40 picks, and right there, those guys can change your franchise. Not to mention all the salary-cap space and the willingness by the owner to spend money. There’s a reason John Dorsey came here over all the other places he could’ve chosen, so it’s going to be a fun offseason.”"
Thomas eluded to the point that the draft picks owned by the Browns could change their franchise. In years past, they’ve used those picks to swing deals and land even more picks. In 2018, it’s time to cash all those chips in.
Cleveland has positioned themselves well with six picks in the top 65 selections — well the old regime did anyway, and new general manager John Dorsey can earn a ton of praise for that if he hits on his picks. The Browns can completely dominate this draft and find several impact players beyond the extremely talked up No. 1 and No. 4 picks.
Many experts have them going for a quarterback first, which would be a step in the right direction. From there, it’s anyone’s guess how things will work out, but they should have no problem landing plenty of starting-caliber players with their selections.
As for Thomas himself, he’s contemplated what life after football could mean for him. There are reports he could hang it up and head for a career in the booth, but there are other reports that he could return for one more season.
Next: Cleveland Browns: Diamonds in the Rough
Thomas plans to let the team know soon whether he will return. One thing seems certain though, Thomas seems excited to be a part of this whether as a fan or a player. Hopefully for at least one more season, he’s that way as a player.