Cleveland Browns: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By Dan Justik
Kicker. (1999-2012). Phil Dawson. 28. player. 53.
Greatest players in Cleveland Browns history: 28. Phil Dawson
A placekicker makes the list as Phil Dawson comes in here at No. 28. Dawson was undrafted out of Texas back in 1998 — before the Browns even came back into the NFL. He spent that season with the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots, but never got off the practice squad and on to a 53-man regular season roster.
The following year the Browns were back in the league and they had a roster to build. They called the former Texas standout and he won the job with them as the kicker. That was a position he held for the next 14 years.
During that span he made 84 percent of his kicks and leads the franchise all-time with 305 connections — according to Pro Football Reference
Dawson left following a Pro Bowl season in 2012 and signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He was there for four seasons before going to Arizona where he still plays at 43-years of age.
The former Browns kicker even has a rule named after him after officials wanted kicks hitting the crossbar to be reviewed. This took place after a controversial kick from Dawson was ‘discussed’ and changed from a miss to a make in a game where the Browns beat the Ravens in overtime — thanks to Dawson’s kick that was overturned.