3. Earl Holmes – Linebacker, 2002
The last time the Cleveland Browns made the playoffs (2002), the team brought in a linebacker by the name of Earl Holmes to be the next middle linebacker. Holmes had formerly played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and had three seasons in a row with 114 plus tackles before coming to Cleveland for one season.
In Holmes’s one season of work in Cleveland not only did the Browns go 9-7, but he also had 55 more tackles than the second leading tackler on the team. Holmes was simply a tackling machine that brought a dynamic to the Browns defense that the team could use more than ever in 2021.
Unfortunately, Holmes only lasted one season in Cleveland before moving on to the Detroit Lions, but boy was he worth it for that one season.
2. Demario Davis – Linebacker, 2016
Perhaps one of the most talented guys to play for the Browns on defense since their return in 1999 is Demario Davis, who unfortunately was on the roster during the darkest days of Cleveland Browns football.
Davis started his career with the New York Jets and then came to the Browns in 2016 to play all 16 games on a team that was only able to win one game. In that season Davis had 99 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Davis is one of the rare guys who is great in run and pass defense and is a real leader in the locker room. Since leaving Cleveland, Davis has found a home in New Orleans where he continues to be a top linebacker in the league after earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2019. If only the Browns could have held on to Davis for longer than one season.