Countdown to 2020: Best Cleveland Browns player to wear No. 5

Who is the best player to wear No. 5 for the Cleveland Browns?

The countdown to the 2020 NFL season is upon us. With 5 days remaining until the Browns season opener, we continue the countdown by celebrating the best Cleveland Browns player to wear number 5: Jeff Garcia.

Jeff Garcia had already gone from winning the Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League to a two-time pro-bowler for the San Francisco 49ers before he was signed as a free agent by the Browns in 2004. Head coach Butch Davis viewed Garcia as the answer to the Browns quarterback woes that he had been seeking.

Much like the number eight entry on this countdown, Trent Dilfer, Garcia only spent one season as the Browns quarterback. The Browns had tried drafting a signal-caller high, in the case of Tim Couch, and they tried the journeyman approach with Kelly Holcomb. Garcia was the first attempt by the franchise to bring in a veteran quarterback with a proven track record.

The 2004 campaign started off on the right foot for the Browns and Garcia. The season kicked off with a home matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. In a game that was a defensive battle, Garcia took care of the ball and struck when the opportunity presented itself breaking a 3-to-3 tie late in the 3rd quarter when he connected with Quincy Morgan on a 46-yard touchdown. Garcia would later score on a short-yardage rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the game. The Browns beat the Ravens 20-3. It was the last time the Browns were able to win the season opener, a streak that now stands at 15 non-wins.

After disappointing efforts in weeks two and three, the Browns got the train back on the tracks in week four with a win over the Redskins. Garcia’s performance was not anything that you would consider as exceptional. He went 14 of 21 for 195 yards and a touchdown. That being said, he didn’t do anything to lose the game either.

The high-water mark for Garcia as a member of the Browns came in Week 6 in a home tilt versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Garcia went 16-of-23 for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Garcia’s first touchdown throw of the day was a record-breaker. He hit Antonio Bryant for a franchise-record 99-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, his win against the Bengals would be his last as a starter for the Browns. Garcia played memorably in an overtime loss the following week to the Philadelphia Eagles, but his effectiveness decreased each week until suffering a shoulder injury in a Week 10 loss to the New York Jets. Garcia attempted to come back from his shoulder injury in week 13 against the Buffalo Bills. After one play Garcia suffered a torn ligament in his knee and was lost for the remainder of the season.

There was a complete overhaul of the front office and the coaching staff after the 2004 season, and Garcia was subsequently released. He would go on to play five more seasons in the NFL before his career concluded.

Jeff Garcia only started 10 games at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns but he is the best player to wear number five for the franchise.