Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns top QB all-time No. 1: Otto Graham, 1946-1955
QB. 1946-1955. player. Scouting Report. OttoGraham. 1. 53. Pick Analysis
The original is still the best.
Otto Graham joined the Cleveland Browns in 1946 when the franchise was founded. At the time, they were part of the All-American Football Conference, and Graham was the biggest star in that league.
He led the Browns to a title in each of their four seasons in the AAFC and they had a 47-4-3 record in the regular season. In 1950, the Browns were selected to join the NFL after their league dissolved and Graham continued to have success.
Graham led them to a 10-2 record in his first season as an NFL quarterback, and they even won the league title that year. They continued to excel and made it to the NFL Championship Game in each of the next three seasons, although they lost each of those.
He then led them back to the top, beating the Detroit Lions for a title in 1954. He then decided he wanted to retire but was given the highest contract in the NFL at the time, which convinced him to return for one more season.
The Browns were able to cash in that year as well, earning another title as Graham led them to a win over the Los Angeles Rams that year.
Overall, Graham led them to four titles in the AAFC and three in the NFL — while winning three NFL MVP awards and two in the AAFC. He still stands atop the team’s leaderboard in terms of passing touchdowns with 174 and is second in yardage with 23,584.
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Those numbers are even more impressive when remembering Graham played at a time when teams weren’t incredibly fond of the forward pass.