We pay tribute to the greatest with this All-time roster made up of the best players to ever suit up for the Cleveland Browns.
In spite of a poor record as of late, there have been a lot of strong players to suit up for the Cleveland Browns that have performed incredibly well for the franchise. That’s bound to happen when you have a team that’s been around as long as they have.
Originally founded in 1946, the Browns were a part of the All-America Football Conference until the 1949 season. Once that league folded, they moved on to join the NFL. They stayed there until 1995 when owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore.
Thankfully for the amazing fans in Cleveland, Modell changed the team name to the Ravens and left all the history for the franchise in Ohio — where it belonged. Also thankfully, the NFL knew the fans there deserved to have their team back and in 1999, the Browns returned as an expansion team.
With the history remaining in the city of Cleveland, the Browns were able to continue to add to their already strong presence. Here we look back over all that time and select the players that make up the all-time Cleveland Browns roster.
Special Teams — Phil Dawson, Don Cockroft, Josh Cribbs
The Browns all-time roster starts out with Phil Dawson as their kicker. While it’s tempting to put Lou Groza in here, the real attraction there would be the fact that he played for 21 seasons and also lined up as tackle. Groza also won four titles with Cleveland, but it’s not Dawson’s fault he played on bad teams.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
Despite being on a poor franchise, Dawson was money. He has the most accurate field goal percentage of any Cleveland player to ever attempt at least 50 field goals. He also has the most makes in Browns history with 305 career makes.
Don Cockroft also makes this team as he provided a steady punting leg during his career. While he also served as placekicker, Cockroft is the leader in punting yards in Browns history. He pushed opponents back for Cleveland from 1968 through 1980 and had 26,262 career yards punting.
The final player on our special teams unit is return man Josh Cribbs. Like Dawson, Cribbs played on some bad teams but he was surely electric. He leads the franchise with 2,154 career punt return yards, as well as 10,015 yards on kickoff returns. He’s also first with 11 total returns for touchdowns.
Safety — Thom Darden, T.J. Ward
The first safety on our all-time Browns roster is none other than the No. 18 pick in the 1972 NFL Draft Thom Darden. The former Michigan Wolverine played both safety positions, but was much better as a free safety for Cleveland. Darden ended up with 45 career interceptions, which is the most in Browns history.
His best season was in 1978 when he had an impressive 10 picks — which led the league. Darden just had a knack for finding the ball as he also recovered nine fumbles while in Cleveland.
Lined up opposite Darden is the 5-foot-10, 210-pound T.J. Ward. The second-round pick of the Browns in 2010 played strong safety but lasted just four seasons before moving on to join the Denver Broncos. There he made two Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls. Currently, Ward is looking for work at 31-years of age, but was one of the best in the game during his time with Cleveland and Denver.
It didn’t take long for him to find his niche either. Ward recorded 123 tackles and two interceptions as a rookie and after being slowed by injuries the next couple seasons he was right back at it in 2013. That final season with the Browns he made his first Pro Bowl — his only in Cleveland — when he had 112 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two picks. Ward was best known for delivering the big hits and kept that reputation up throughout his time in Denver.
Cornerback — Joe Haden, Hanford Dixon
It’s hard to admit just how good Joe Haden is right now since he’s playing for the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the former first-round pick out of Florida earned his status as the No. 7 pick in 2010. Haden was a two-time Pro Bowl coverage guy for the Browns and once made the second-team All-Pro roster as well.
He finished his seven seasons in Cleveland with 299 tackles and 19 interceptions. Before the 2017 season though, the front office tried to ship him off to no avail. There were also reports they asked Haden to take a pay cut, which he wouldn’t do. In the end, he ended up in Pittsburgh, which was avoidable had the Browns just kept him on the books — it’s not like they were hurting for the cap space.
Next to Haden is the talented Hanford Dixon. The former defensive back was No. 7 on our top first-round picks of all time and was even credited with the birth of the “Dawg Pound” nickname. Dixon was one half of one of the better defensive back duos in Browns’ history and ended his career with 26 career interceptions. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times and it would be a nightmare having to throw a ball with him and Haden manning the edges at corner.
Linebacker — Clay Matthews, Jr., Jim Houston, D’Qwell Jackson
At linebacker, things kick off with the top tackler in Browns’ history. Clay Matthews, Jr. is part of one of the strongest bloodlines in the NFL. His dad played for San Francisco and his brother is in the Hall of Fame after a long career with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. Both of Clay’s kids can play as well as Clay Matthews III is still in the NFL and Casey Matthews played four seasons for the Eagles and went to Minnesota but never played for them.
The Browns’ Matthews had 1,430 tackles during his 16-year career which spanned from 1978 to 1993. He also recorded 62 sacks and is a lock for this team.
Next to him is another player with NFL in his blood. Jim Houston was actually the second member of his family to play for Cleveland. His brother was an offensive lineman and Jim ended up following in his shoes to join Cleveland — he was also drafted in the AFL but chose the Browns. Houston made four Pro Bowls and had 14 career picks, three of which he returned for a touchdown.
The third linebacker is D’Qwell Jackson, the linebacker who recorded 530 tackles between 2006-2013 and that lands him third on the all-time list.
Defensive Line — Anthony Pleasant, Michael Dean Perry, Bob Golic, Myles Garrett
Our first defensive end on this list is Anthony Pleasant, who played for the Browns from 1990-1995 and then spent the 1996 season with the Baltimore Ravens franchise. Pleasant continued to play until 2003 and won two Super Bowls late in his career with the New England Patriots. He was listed at 6-foot-5 and 280-pounds and was at his best in the 1993 season when he recorded 11 sacks for the Browns.
Across from him at the other end is second-year player Myles Garrett. Sure, he hasn’t done a lot to earn this spot, but let’s be honest — this guy is a beast. No one debated Garrett as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and he had seven sacks as a rookie in just 11 games. He could become one of the best ever to play on the edges for the Browns.
In between these two is the duo of Michael Dean Perry and Bob Golic. Dean Perry played both end and tackle, and has the second highest sack total in Cleveland history with 51.5. Golic played all over the field on defense in his career, but was listed as a nose tackle for the Browns. He manned the position for seven seasons and makes the cut here.
Offensive Line —Joe Thomas, Gene Hickerson, Alex Mack, Dick Schafrath, Mike McCormack
No Browns offensive line list would be complete without Joe Thomas. The No. 3 overall pick in 2007, Thomas was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and made the All-Pro First-Team seven times.
More from Browns News
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
Despite playing for a winning franchise in only one season — his rookie year — Thomas was the consummate professional and gave his all to this team. He’s just one of the best to have ever worn this uniform.
A six-time Pro Bowl player lines up on the other side as Mike McCormack gets that nod. He won two titles and made the Hall of Fame in 1984.
The guards are just as decorated as Gene Hickerson made six Pro Bowls and five First-Team All-Pro nods. He played 202 games over 15 seasons for Cleveland and is also an owner of a gold jacket. Dick Schafrath made another six Pro Bowls and four First-Team selections.
The interior is anchored by Alex Mack. A first-round pick in 2009, Mack made the Pro Bowl three times for Cleveland before agreeing to a huge deal with the Atlanta Falcons. He’s made the past two Pro Bowl’s for the Dirty Birds and continues to be one of the best in the NFL at what he does.
Tight End — Ozzie Newsome
At tight end we have former Alabama stand out Ozzie Newsome. He was one of the first pass catching phenoms at tight end and he finished with 7,980 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns off 662 receptions. His career spanned from 1978 through 1990 and he’s since become a great mind in the front office — even if it has to be for the Ravens.
Wide Receivers — Paul Warfield, Gary Collins
Paul Warfield is one wide out for the Browns and was also a standout for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was lightning fast and averaged just under 20-yards per reception for his career. While he only hit the 1,000-yard mark once, the era he played in has to be taken into consideration there. Playing from 1964 to 1977, Warfield was a star before the NFL became a pass happy league.
Opposite him is Gary Collins, who also spent time as a punter for the Browns. What made Collins great wasn’t the fact that he was a solid punter for them while still proving to be a weapon as a receiver, but it was his knack for playing his best football when the team needed him most.
At 6-foot-5, Collins would still be a big target to this day, and could continue to have success in the red zone thanks to that size and his solid hands.
Running Backs — Jim Brown, Earnest Byner
One running back on this list was an absolute shoe-in. Jim Brown is the best player to ever play for the team and he still owns every important record for a running back in his stellar career. He had 12,312 yards with 106 touchdowns.
Listed as a fullback, Brown ran for more than 1,000-yards in all but one season. His lowest ever output for a season was his rookie year of 1957 when he had 942 yards. He walked away from the game after 1965 when he was still just 29 years-old. Brown still had it too as his last season saw him rush for 1,544 yards and 17 touchdowns — which tied his career high.
In today’s game, Brown wouldn’t be a fullback, but would instead be a halfback. So, on this roster he’s paired with another player who can play either spot. Earnest Byner was a kick returner and running back for the Browns and had 3,364 yards on the ground and 27 touchdowns. He was also dangerous as a pass catcher, bringing in 276 receptions for 2,630 and 10 more scores.
Byner continued his great play with the Washington Redskins, who often used him as a fullback. Byner spent five seasons in D.C. before coming back to the Browns — and eventually moving to Baltimore with the club.
Quarterback — Otto Graham
From 1946-1955, the Cleveland Browns were quarterbacked by the legendary Otto Graham. Often considered the first quarterback of the Browns, he was actually a backup to begin his career. That didn’t last long as he replaced Cliff Lewis quickly and guided Cleveland to a 12-2 record. The winning didn’t stop there.
Graham continued his success in the AAFC and then to Cleveland in the NFL and kept them competitive. In his six seasons playing in the NFL, Graham led the Browns to a 57-13-1 record (114-20-4 when their AAFC stats are added in). He was also the guiding force behind their inaugural 1950 season that ended with an NFL Championship after they knocked off the Los Angeles Rams.
He would lead them to three NFL Championships and four in the AAFC. Graham also received plenty of his own hardware as he was a three-time NFL MVP and two-time AAFC MVP.
Next: Top 15 Browns first round picks
For his career, Graham threw for 23,584 yards — which is food for second-most in team history. He’s the leader in touchdown passes with 174. He also did plenty of damage on the ground, netting 882 career rushing yards with 44 touchdowns. It doesn’t look like his status as the best quarterback in Browns’ history will change for a long time.