Who’s on the Cleveland Browns 21st Century Mount Rushmore?
Bleacher Report recently came out with a huge listicle detailing the four greatest athletes of each major American city's sports teams in this century, a la Mount Rushmore style. For the great city of Cleveland, the publication put in two Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett and Joe Thomas. The article had me thinking-if it was only based on the Browns, who would be on the list? Garrett and Thomas will definitely be on mine, but despite Cleveland not being able to play competitive football for most of the 21st century, there are still many names that come to mind. With that in mind, here is my Mount Rushmore list for the greatest Browns players to wear the jersey since 2000.
Josh Cribbs
Originally a quarterback at Kent State University, Josh Cribbs came into the league with no pedigree. No team in the NFL had serious ambitions of putting him at his natural position, and in response, Cribbs went about an hour north from Portage County after being undrafted and changed the way he played football entirely. Fortunately enough for both the Browns and the former Golden Flash, that move panned out perfectly. What followed was an eight-year stint in Cleveland, along with three Pro Bowl nominations, one All-Pro selection, and a place on the Hall of Fame’s All-2000’s Team.
From 2005 to 2012, the D.C. native fielded over 10,000 kick-return yards and eight touchdowns, which put him at third and second in league history. His best season came in 2009, in which Cribbs returned a combined four kicks and punts for touchdowns, along with two touchdowns on offense. Whenever fans reminisce about the Browns in the 2000s, the memories usually aren’t pretty, but when they are, it’s because of this guy. Not only is he one of the greatest special teamers in Browns history, but he’s one of the best in the history of professional football.
Phil Dawson
Speaking of special teams often compelling the Browns to victory, this Florida-born placekicker was responsible for 13 wins off his foot alone. Phil Dawson was absolutely incredible for the Browns from when they came back in 1999 to 2012. Not only that, he continued playing into 2020, splitting time with San Francisco and Arizona. Sinking 305 out of 363 attempted field goals, including multiple long-distance bombs and game winners, the former Texas Longhorn is also responsible for some of the greatest memories in Browns history.
Take, for example, his 61-yard boot against the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 that bounced off the back of the crossbar and back into the goalpost. The kick was originally ruled as no good, but after review, it sent Cleveland and Baltimore into overtime. Dawson would hit another clutch kick, sealing the win for the Browns. Overall, the 20-year veteran was the greatest kicker the Browns saw since Lou Groza, and no kicker who has played for Cleveland since has been able to live up to his legacy.
Joe Thomas
When fans talk about truly dominant NFL players, I’ve always felt Thomas’s name is forgotten way too often and should be mentioned more. The forgetfulness is a product of the Hall of Famer staying in Northeast Ohio for his entire career, never winning a playoff game and retiring after Cleveland’s dreadful winless 2017 campaign. However, when you look at the stats, the left tackle was an absolute monster. The Browns drafted him with the third overall pick in the loaded 2007 NFL Draft, and what ensued was one of the best careers an offensive lineman has ever had.
Coming out of Wisconsin, Thomas immediately hit the ground running. The former Badger made the Pro Bowl every year of his career that he was fully healthy for, from 2007 to 2016. Tack on six All-Pro nods and a placement on the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team, and Thomas was surefire for a bust in Canton. In his first year of eligibility, 2023, the ironman was enshrined as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The man blocked for a myriad of poor quarterbacks, coaches, running backs, and more, but despite the lack of talent and success around him, Thomas never even considered leaving Cleveland. For that reason alone, he deserves a spot on this Mount Rushmore.
Myles Garrett
No top-four list of any kind, whether it's the 20th or 21st century, would leave off Garrett on a Browns symposium. Cleveland fans are pretty depressed thinking about the two-time Defensive Player of the Year after he was sent away in a trade to the Los Angeles Rams, but for this list, we’ll have to give him his props. From setting the all-time single-season sacks record to winning nearly every award a defensive edge rusher could win, this former Texas A&M Aggie was a must-watch for the Browns and will continue to be for the Rams. Although it ended sadly, Garrett is one of the best in the history of Cleveland football, in this era, the eras that came before it, and the eras that will come after.
