“For Cleveland fans, it’s tough, right? Because for several of those seasons that Myles was here in Cleveland, he was like the one thing we got to cheer for,” Thomas said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Last year, out of the playoff hunt for a long time, but he gave us a reason to be proud as Browns fans, chasing that sack record. And to finally get it, just to see the commitment that he had on the field to his team and to the city, it was incredible. So, it was really hard to hear that he was traded.
“It hurts everybody that Myles is not a Brown anymore.”
Thomas made sure to note that while Cleveland is once again mired in a struggle that has defined the franchise for much of its existence since returning to the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999, the goal isn’t to root for individual players. It’s still about the greater pursuit of team success, and he believes the Browns received a return that is strong enough to inspire optimism.
“But I’m not willing to accept the fact that we’re only allowed to think that our ceiling as Browns fans is to cheer for a player that is having a good season or chasing a record,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we’re still here to try to win championships, and when you look at the Myles trade, to be able to get a great young player like Jared Verse, who is a tremendous pass rusher, who is a great asset to that team, he’s on a friendly contract there. Getting three draft choices for Myles, first, second and a third, it puts us in a much better position for the next two, three, four years as we’re in this building phase.