If you’ve followed the Cleveland Browns since before The Betrayal of Art Modell and The Return in 1999, you know why the team that has taken the field since has been so tough to watch. The Browns were mostly a solid team in the ‘80s and ‘90s and downright dominant in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.
The return to glory may not be what it was when football was first becoming a national game, but Cleveland fans are begging for a glimpse of it.
ESPN just put out their All Quarter Century team for the whole of the NFL, which included two Browns players. Given that the team returned in 1999, our All Quarter Century team will include that return season as well. While Cleveland’s team hasn’t had a ton of success since returning, there are bound to be some arguments about who should make the 25 starters for this quarter century plus one.
For the sake of tiebreakers and having a good starting point, we used Pro Football Reference’s Career Approximate Value data point. Some of the decisions were very easy (left tackle, for example) while others led to a bit of a struggle (right tackle, for sure and quarterback, to some extent).
Browns All Quarter Century Plus One team
Offense
QB Baker Mayfield
RB Nick Chubb
FB Lawrence Vickers
WR Josh Gordon - Talent cannot be denied despite limited time on the field
WR Dennis Northcutt
TE David Njoku
LT Joe Thomas
LG Joel Bitonio
C Alex Mack
RG Wyatt Teller
RT Ryan Tucker
Defense
DE Myles Garrett
DT Larry Ogunjobi
DT Gerard Warren
DE Orpheus Roye
LB D’Qwell Jackson
LB Andra Davis - Was close to putting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah here
CB Denzel Ward
CB Joe Haden
CB Daylon McCutcheon
FS Earl Little
SS T.J. Ward
Special Teams
K Phil Dawson
P Chris Gardocki
LS Charley Hughlett
We’ve all had favorite Browns over the last Quarter Century, which one did we omit from the team since they returned to Cleveland in 1999?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below