Cleveland Browns: Ranking the most important players since 1999

1. Joe Thomas

Come on now, who else could it have been? Joe Thomas is, bar none, the best player in New Browns franchise history. He is one of, if not the best left tackle of all time, and he is a player that the Browns can be truly proud of.

Thomas came into the league in September 2007, and he would not leave the field for the Browns offense until October 22, 2017. That is an NFL record of 10,363 straight snaps without ever leaving the field.

A true class act in every sense of the word, Thomas was always a breath of fresh air for a franchise that desperately needed someone to truly cheer for. Through all the bad, lost seasons, and all the heartbreaking defeats, Thomas was always there, ready for the next week’s challenges.

The Browns may never be the same without Thomas’s now-hallowed No. 73 on the field. Thomas was a physical force on the field, and continues to be a force for good off of it.

No matter what challenges different games would bring, Thomas always made sure he was ready. Now that he has gone into retirement, the left tackle position remains something of a mystery for 2018. Really, I think that speaks to Thomas’s level of greatness.

Thomas gets a perfect ten in all three criteria for our list. His working man leadership and consistently amazing play at the left tackle position has left a hole in the Browns organization that may never again be filled with an all-time great player.

Joe Thomas is a shoe-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. First ballot, possibly a unanimous decision, Thomas will be remembered as one of the best Cleveland Browns ever, both on and off the field.

Next: Myles Garrett could make huge jump in 2018

Number 73, you will be greatly missed as a member of the Cleveland Browns. We here at Dawg Pound Daily wish you a great retirement, and the best of luck in your broadcast media endeavors.