Since the century change in 2000, the Browns have a record of 139-264-1 with three postseason appearances and one playoff win. They have undoubtedly been among the bottom of NFL franchises since then, with some incredibly low lows and very few, moderate highs.
Not all is lost for Browns fans, though, as they have been blessed to see some incredible individual talent in that time frame. Highlighted by Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas and Defensive Player of the Year edge rusher Myles Garrett, the Browns have had two of the best players at premium positions over the last 25 years.
In an article by ESPN's Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder, they created a full 53-man roster, practice squad, and coaching staff with the best of the NFL since 2000. Both Thomas and Garrett found themselves squarely on the roster with some of the best the game has seen in recent history.
ESPN puts Myles Garrett and Joe Thomas on All Quarter Century team
There isn't much to explain when it comes to Thomas, as his incredible consistency at a high level from the moment he was drafted speaks for itself. To step in as an elite starter from day one and not miss a snap until his final season, 10 years later, is beyond the highest expectations from a franchise anchor on the offensive line.
"His six first-team All-Pro selections since 2000 are two more than any tackle in this span (regardless of side), making him a slam dunk choice for this team."Seth Walder
For Garrett, Walder did a good job explaining how much Garrett does that doesn't show up in the box score on top of his tremendous resume. While he does do a great job getting sacks and making plays, Garrett is always an extreme emphasis on the other team's game plan, which makes the rest of the defense's life easier by default.
"Since Garrett entered the league in 2017, no edge player has accumulated more pass rush wins than his 522 -- ahead of T.J. Watt's 467. And Garrett did that while maintaining the third-highest double-team rate at edge (27%) of all qualifying edge rushers. He has made the most of his eight seasons in the league, with a first-team All-Pro nod in half of those seasons, making him plenty worthy of selection."Seth Walder
It's almost too fitting that the only time these two were on a roster together was Garrett's rookie year in 2017. In that year, Thomas missed games for the only time in his career, and the offense led by DeShone Kizer had them finish 0-16 despite having two franchise legends.
The Browns have had two franchise-changing talents at some of the most important positions, but the inability to find anything at the quarterback position has drastically hurt what they have been able to do with them. After Thomas had to retire without a playoff appearance, hopefully the Browns can get back on track and make the most of the time they have left in the Garrett era.