Countdown to 2020: Best Cleveland Browns player to wear No. 57

The best Cleveland Browns player to ever wear No. 57 is unquestionable.

The countdown to the 2020 NFL season is upon us. With 57 days remaining until the Browns season opener, we continue the countdown by celebrating the best Cleveland Browns player to ever wear number 57: Clay Matthews Jr.

Matthews was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the twelfth overall pick of the 1978 NFL draft out of the University of Southern California. He was the first linebacker to come off the board in the 1978 draft. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 245lbs., Matthews was a pro-ready linebacker coming out of USC.

When Matthews arrived in Cleveland, the starting outside linebacker spots were already solidified for the 1978 season. Charlie Hall and Gerald Irons were both proven veterans that were not just going to hand their starting roles over to a rookie, regardless of how talented they were or when they were drafted. Matthews had his work cut out for him and he knew he would have to earn every repetition his first year in Cleveland.

Although Matthews was only able to start two games in place of Irons, he was a key contributor all season long during his rookie year. He was able to build on that momentum in his second year becoming the full-time starter at right outside linebacker. Matthews was a natural at getting after opposing quarterbacks and disrupting game plans, a theme he would continue for the duration of his career in Cleveland.

A tackling machine, Matthews always found himself near the ball, or better yet the ball always found itself near Matthews. The only thing that is more impressive than Matthews’ unreal statistics was his durability. He started in 216 games during his 16 years as a member of the Browns. After his injury-plagued 1982 campaign, Matthews started in every game he appeared in from 1983 until he left Cleveland after the 1993 season.

Matthews’ best statistical season came in 1984 when he racked up 126 tackles with 12 sacks and three forced fumbles. His defensive coordinator at the time, Marty Schottenheimer, would later become the Browns head coach. Schottenheimer put Matthews in situations where he would be able to utilize his disruptive playmaking abilities at crucial times during games. More often or not, Matthews came through when it mattered most.

His 1,430 tackles and 62 sacks both rank as the most in Browns’ history. Matthews’ sack totals are even more impressive when you consider that he played for four seasons before sacks were even considered a recorded statistic. His stats measure up or surpass nearly every linebacker that has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In recent years, the momentum for Matthews to hear his name called in Canton has been ever-increasing, and rightly so. He deserves to be immortalized and join his younger brother, Bruce Matthews, in the Hall.

The Matthews last name is professional football royalty. Clay Matthews Sr. played professional football in the 1950s. Clay Jr. and his brother Bruce both played at USC and were first-round picks with stellar NFL careers. Clay Jr. has three nephews that have played in the NFL: Mike, Kevin, and Jake. Then to top it off, Clay Jr. has two sons that followed in his footsteps and played linebacker in the NFL: Clay III, and Casey. Pro-tip for any NFL general managers, if their last name is Matthews they are probably worth taking a flier on.

Matthews is in the USC Athletics Hall of Fame, made the Pro Football Reference’s 1980’s All-Decade Team, and was inducted into the Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor this past season. Hopefully a year from now he will be able to add Hall of Famer to his incredible resume.

Clay Matthews is undoubtedly the best player to wear number 57 in the history of the Cleveland Browns.