Cleveland Browns: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By Dan Justik
player. 53. . Tight End. (1978-1990). Ozzie Newsome. 4
Greatest players in Cleveland Browns history: 4. Ozzie Newsome
Drafted with the 23rd overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, Ozzie Newsome would transition from playing wide receiver in college to tight end in the NFL. And he made the transition look easy as he became one of the best tight ends to ever play in the NFL.
More from Browns All-Time Lists
- Top 10 all-time best Cleveland Browns players since ’99
- Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
- Cleveland Browns: 12 best UDFAs since 1999
- Cleveland Browns: Best 5 draft picks of the past 5 years
- Cleveland Browns 5 worst draft picks of the past 5 years
Newsome played 13 seasons for the Browns, performing the rare feat of playing in three different decades. In his career, Newsome caught 662 passes for 7,980 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns.
Newsome is the Cleveland Browns all-time leader with 662 receptions, which is 276 receptions more than the player with the second-most receptions. He also is the Browns all-time leader in receiving yards, and his 7,980 receiving yards is 1,492 yards more than the player with the second-most yards.
After his playing career, Newsome was a Browns executive from 1991-1995, but he followed the team when the organization was moved to Baltimore.
Newsome was named to the Pro Bowl three times in his career. He was also named a first-team or second-team All-Pro six times in his career, including being named a first-team All-Pro twice. Newsome was also named to the NFL 1980’s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.