Best Cleveland Browns Players of All-Time Tier List

The best Cleveland Browns players of all-time tier list starts with one of the strongest top groups in NFL history. Jim Brown is the greatest running back the sport has ever seen. Otto Graham built one of football’s original dynasties. Myles Garrett gave Cleveland its most dominant modern defensive force before his Browns career ended with the 2026 trade to the Los Angeles Rams.

This is a pure tier list, not a strict 1-through-39 ranking. The tier itself is the ranking. Once players are inside the same tier, they are grouped together in the same tier group rather than ordered from best to worst.

That means Tier 1 is above Tier 2, Tier 2 is above Tier 3, and so on. But inside each tier, the player order follows the graphic layout only. It should not be treated as a separate ranking inside that group.

Cleveland’s all-time board is not normal. This franchise has NFL champions, Hall of Fame linemen, legendary running backs, elite pass rushers, record-setting defensive backs and fan favorites from eras that felt completely different from each other. Browns history stretches from the AAFC dynasty to Jim Brown’s dominance, the Kardiac Kids, the Dawg Pound years and the modern Garrett-Chubb-Bitonio run.

This ranking is based only on what each player did with the Browns. Peak, production, longevity, accolades, playoff impact, franchise records and overall Cleveland legacy all matter.

How We Ranked the Best Cleveland Browns Players of All-Time

This ranking weighs each player’s Browns career first. Team production, peak value, awards, championships, playoff moments, records, longevity and era context all count.

A player like Paul Warfield has a larger full-career legacy beyond Cleveland, but this article grades only what he did as a Brown. A modern star like Myles Garrett gets credit for what he did in Cleveland before his 2026 trade to the Rams. Nick Chubb, Joel Bitonio and Garrett now have much clearer Browns-only résumés because their Cleveland chapters are complete.

Cleveland’s history is tricky because it includes the AAFC years, the early NFL dynasty, the Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly era, the Kardiac Kids, the Dawg Pound, the expansion-era struggle and the recent Garrett-Chubb-Bitonio core. Quarterbacks, running backs, offensive linemen, defenders and specialists all need different context.

This is not just a fame list. It is about who built the strongest Browns legacy.

Important tier-list reminder: The tiers are ordered. The names inside each tier are not. Players in the same tier should be viewed as belonging to the same general Browns legacy class.

Tier 7: Important Browns Legends and Memorable Franchise Pieces

Tier 7 includes Don Cockroft, Jerry Sherk, Thom Darden, Paul Wiggin, Bill Nelsen, Joe DeLamielleure, and Mike Pruitt.

Tier 7 is full of real Browns history. There are Kardiac Kids pieces, old-school defenders, a franchise interception leader, a Hall of Fame guard’s Cleveland chapter and a running back who still sits high on the team rushing board.

Don Cockroft

Browns stats/accolades: 13 seasons with Cleveland, 1,080 points, longtime kicker and punter, key specialist for the Kardiac Kids era.

Don Cockroft handled two jobs for the Browns and did both for a long time. He kicked, punted, scored points and became a familiar piece of Cleveland football through the 1970s.

His 1,080 points still keep him near the top of the team scoring list. Specialists rarely get big all-time love, but Cockroft’s longevity and role make him more than a footnote.

Jerry Sherk

Browns stats/accolades: 12 seasons with Cleveland, 4 Pro Bowls, First-Team All-Pro selection, one of the top defensive tackles of the 1970s Browns.

Jerry Sherk was a rugged interior defender who gave Cleveland real disruption up front. He was tough against the run, productive enough to earn leaguewide respect and one of the best defenders on the roster during his prime.

His four Pro Bowls tell the story. Sherk was not just a good local player. He was one of the better defensive tackles in football during his best stretch.

Thom Darden

Browns stats/accolades: 10 seasons with Cleveland, franchise-record 45 interceptions, 850 interception return yards, 10-interception season in 1978.

Thom Darden is the greatest ballhawk in Browns history. Forty-five interceptions is still the franchise record, and that number alone gives him a clean place on this list.

His 1978 season was especially loud: 10 interceptions, game-changing range and the kind of secondary production modern defenses rarely see. Darden deserves more national respect than he usually gets.

Paul Wiggin

Browns stats/accolades: 11 seasons with Cleveland, 2 Pro Bowls, 1964 NFL champion, longtime defensive end.

Paul Wiggin gave the Browns a tough defensive end during one of the franchise’s strongest old-school eras. He was part of a championship team, lasted more than a decade and played the kind of physical edge football Cleveland has always appreciated.

Wiggin’s career is not built on modern sack totals. It is built on years of work, championship-era defense and respect from a different NFL.

Bill Nelsen

Browns stats/accolades: 5 seasons with Cleveland, starting quarterback on the 1968 and 1969 NFL Championship Game teams, Pro Bowl selection.

Bill Nelsen helped extend the Browns’ winning window after the Otto Graham and Jim Brown eras were gone. He was not the most physically gifted quarterback in team history, but he won games and got Cleveland deep into the postseason.

Leading the Browns to back-to-back NFL Championship Game appearances gives him a real team legacy. That kind of playoff run still plays in Cleveland history.

Joe DeLamielleure

Browns stats/accolades: 5 seasons with Cleveland, Hall of Fame guard, starting offensive lineman for the 1980 Kardiac Kids.

Joe DeLamielleure’s biggest NFL legacy came in Buffalo, but his Browns years still mattered. He gave Cleveland a Hall of Fame-level veteran presence on the offensive line and helped stabilize the interior during the Kardiac Kids run.

This is a Browns-only ranking, so he lands lower than his full-career name might suggest. Still, his Cleveland chapter was meaningful.

Mike Pruitt

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 6,540 rushing yards, 47 rushing touchdowns, 2 Pro Bowls, one of the franchise’s top career rushers.

Mike Pruitt was a powerful, dependable back who kept the Browns’ run game credible through the late 1970s and early 1980s. He did not have Jim Brown’s mythology or Nick Chubb’s modern highlight profile, but the production is serious.

His 6,540 rushing yards with Cleveland still rank near the top of the franchise leaderboard. That is not nostalgia. That is a strong Browns career.

Tier 6: Top Browns With Strong Careers

Tier 6 includes Cody Risien, Alex Mack, Baker Mayfield, Eric Metcalf, Bill Glass, Chip Banks, and John Morrow.

Tier 6 has a fun mix of offensive line quality, playoff nostalgia, return-game electricity, old-school defensive toughness and a quarterback who delivered one of the most important wins of the modern Browns era.

Cody Risien

Browns stats/accolades: 11 seasons with Cleveland, 2 Pro Bowls, longtime right tackle, key blocker during the Kardiac Kids and Bernie Kosar eras.

Cody Risien gave the Browns years of steady tackle play. He bridged eras, protected different quarterbacks and helped Cleveland stay physical up front.

His two Pro Bowls and long run as a starter make him more than just a good lineman from the 1980s. Risien was a real piece of some very memorable Browns teams.

Alex Mack

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 3 Pro Bowls as a Brown, 101 starts, one of the best centers of the expansion-era Browns.

Alex Mack was one of the best Browns draft picks of the post-1999 era. Cleveland did not always give him stable teams around him, but Mack gave the offense high-level center play from the moment he arrived.

Mack later continued his career elsewhere and retired after the 2021 season, so his Browns case is complete. Centers do not fix everything by themselves, but they keep offenses from falling apart. Mack did that for years in Cleveland.

Baker Mayfield

Browns stats/accolades: 4 seasons with Cleveland, 14,125 passing yards, 92 touchdown passes, 2020 playoff win over Pittsburgh.

Baker Mayfield’s Browns career was messy by the end, but his impact should not be erased. He helped drag Cleveland out of the worst stretch in franchise history and delivered the team’s first playoff win since the 1994 season.

Mayfield later rebuilt his career in Tampa Bay, but this is only about Cleveland. From a Browns-only view, the 2020 win in Pittsburgh still matters. For a fan base that had lived through decades of quarterback chaos, Baker gave the Browns a real moment.

Eric Metcalf

Browns stats/accolades: 6 seasons with Cleveland, 2 Pro Bowls, multiple punt-return touchdowns, dynamic rushing, receiving and return weapon.

Eric Metcalf was one of the most exciting Browns players of the early 1990s. He could line up in different spots, catch passes, run the ball and flip games as a returner.

His two punt-return touchdowns against Pittsburgh in 1993 remain signature Cleveland moments. Metcalf was not traditional, but he was dangerous.

Bill Glass

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 4 Pro Bowls as a Brown, 1964 NFL champion, standout defensive end.

Bill Glass gave the Browns pass-rush pressure and edge toughness during the 1960s. He was part of the 1964 championship team and became one of the franchise’s better defensive linemen of that era.

Official sack totals from his prime do not tell the full story. The Pro Bowls and title-team role do.

Chip Banks

Browns stats/accolades: 5 seasons with Cleveland, 4 Pro Bowls, 1982 Defensive Rookie of the Year, one of the best linebacker peaks in Browns history.

Chip Banks did not spend forever in Cleveland, but his peak was loud. He arrived as a top draft pick and immediately looked like a difference-maker at linebacker.

Four Pro Bowls in five Browns seasons is a huge hit rate. The tenure keeps him in Tier 6, but the talent was higher than that.

John Morrow

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 2 Pro Bowls, starting center on the 1964 NFL championship team.

John Morrow was the center of the offensive line during one of the Browns’ most important championship runs. He helped anchor the front for Frank Ryan and Jim Brown during a loaded Cleveland era.

His 1964 title-team role and multiple Pro Bowls give him a clean all-time Browns case. Championship centers deserve respect.

Tier 5: Browns Franchise Greats

Tier 5 includes Gary Collins, Jim Houston, Clarence Scott, Walter Johnson, Greg Pruitt, and Joe Haden.

Tier 5 is full of players with real Cleveland substance. There are championship contributors, long-term defenders, versatile backs and one of the best cornerbacks the Browns have had since the franchise returned.

Gary Collins

Browns stats/accolades: 10 seasons with Cleveland, 331 receptions, 5,299 receiving yards, 70 receiving touchdowns, 1964 NFL champion, 3 touchdown catches in the 1964 title game.

Gary Collins owns one of the greatest games in Browns history. Three touchdown catches in a 27-0 NFL Championship Game win is not just clutch. It is the kind of performance that never leaves a franchise’s highlight reel.

Collins also scored 70 receiving touchdowns for Cleveland. That is elite team production, especially for his era.

Jim Houston

Browns stats/accolades: 13 seasons with Cleveland, 4 Pro Bowls, 1964 NFL champion, longtime linebacker and defensive end.

Jim Houston gave the Browns versatility and toughness across the front seven. He could play linebacker, rush, hold up against the run and stay on the field for championship-caliber teams.

His 13-year run and four Pro Bowls make him one of the strongest defensive careers from Cleveland’s 1960s core.

Clarence Scott

Browns stats/accolades: 13 seasons with Cleveland, 39 interceptions, 186 games, one of the franchise’s top career defensive backs.

Clarence Scott was a steady, productive defensive back for a very long time. Thirty-nine interceptions in Cleveland puts him near the top of the franchise leaderboard.

Scott did not need a giant national profile to build a strong Browns case. The longevity and ball production speak clearly enough.

Walter Johnson

Browns stats/accolades: 12 seasons with Cleveland, 3 Pro Bowls, 1960s and 1970s defensive line anchor.

Walter Johnson was a powerful interior defender who gave Cleveland years of work in the trenches. He was physical, durable and good enough to earn multiple Pro Bowl selections.

The Browns have always valued defensive line toughness. Johnson brought that in a major way during his prime.

Greg Pruitt

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 5,496 rushing yards, 4 Pro Bowls as a Brown, three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 1975 to 1977.

Greg Pruitt was a smooth, explosive back who gave Cleveland big-play ability in the 1970s. He was not a bruiser like Jim Brown or Nick Chubb, but he could cut, accelerate and stress a defense in space.

His 1975–1977 stretch was excellent, with three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Pruitt belongs in any Browns conversation around the best running backs of all-time from a franchise-impact view.

Joe Haden

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 19 interceptions, 2 Pro Bowls as a Brown, top cornerback of the early 2010s Browns.

Joe Haden gave the Browns real CB1 play during a rough era. The teams were often bad, but Haden was not. He could match top receivers, play the ball and give Cleveland a defensive star worth watching.

Haden later played in Pittsburgh, then signed a one-day contract in 2022 to retire as a Brown. His 2013 and 2014 Pro Bowl seasons were the peak of his Cleveland run. On better Browns teams, Haden would probably be remembered even louder.

Tier 4: Great Browns With Major Cases

Tier 4 includes Doug Dieken, Hanford Dixon, Bernie Kosar, Frank Minnifield, Brian Sipe, and Nick Chubb.

Tier 4 is loaded with Cleveland favorites: the Dawg Pound corners, two memorable quarterbacks, a beloved left tackle and one of the best running backs of the modern NFL.

Doug Dieken

Browns stats/accolades: 14 seasons with Cleveland, 203 games, Pro Bowl selection, longtime left tackle.

Doug Dieken was a Browns fixture. He held down left tackle for more than a decade, then stayed connected to the franchise long after his playing career ended.

His playing case is strong on its own: 203 games and a long run protecting Browns quarterbacks. That is serious offensive line longevity.

Hanford Dixon

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 26 interceptions, 3 Pro Bowls, key creator of the Dawg Pound identity.

Hanford Dixon was more than a good corner. He helped create a culture. The Dawg Pound nickname and attitude are tied directly to the Dixon-Minnifield era.

On the field, Dixon was physical, confident and productive. Twenty-six interceptions and three Pro Bowls give the football case plenty of weight.

Bernie Kosar

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 21,904 passing yards, 116 touchdown passes, Pro Bowl selection, led Cleveland to three AFC Championship Games.

Bernie Kosar is one of the most beloved quarterbacks in Browns history. His delivery was odd, his arm angles were unique and Cleveland fans would not trade that era for anything.

Kosar took the Browns to three AFC Championship Games and gave the city real belief. He belongs in any team-focused conversation about the best quarterbacks of all-time because his Cleveland impact was enormous.

Frank Minnifield

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 20 interceptions, 4 Pro Bowls, First-Team All-Pro selection, key Dawg Pound cornerback.

Frank Minnifield teamed with Hanford Dixon to give Cleveland one of the coolest cornerback duos of the 1980s. He was tough, sticky and fearless outside.

Four Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition tell you he was more than a fan favorite. Minnifield was one of the best corners of his era.

Brian Sipe

Browns stats/accolades: 10 seasons with Cleveland, franchise-record 23,713 passing yards, 154 touchdown passes, 1980 NFL MVP.

Brian Sipe gave Cleveland one of its most exciting offensive eras. The Kardiac Kids lived on close games, late drama and Sipe’s willingness to throw the ball into big moments.

His 1980 MVP season remains one of the great quarterback years in Browns history. Sipe is still the franchise passing leader, which keeps his case very real.

Nick Chubb

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 6,843 rushing yards, 51 rushing touchdowns, 4 Pro Bowls, third in franchise history in rushing yards.

Nick Chubb is the best Browns running back since Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. That is a big sentence, but his tape earned it. He ran with power, balance, patience and almost no wasted movement.

Chubb’s Browns chapter ended after an injury-hit 2024 season, and he signed with the Houston Texans in 2025. The serious 2023 knee injury and later 2024 foot injury changed the back end of his Cleveland run, but the prime was special. Chubb belongs in the modern best running backs of all-time conversation from a pure rushing standpoint.

Tier 3: Elite Browns Legends

Tier 3 includes Joel Bitonio, Frank Ryan, Michael Dean Perry, Ozzie Newsome, and Paul Warfield.

Tier 3 is heavy with premium Browns talent: a modern guard with Hall of Fame-level respect, the last quarterback to win Cleveland an NFL title, a dominant interior defender, a Hall of Fame tight end and one of the most graceful receivers ever.

Joel Bitonio

Browns stats/accolades: 12 seasons with Cleveland, 178 starts, 7 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro selections, franchise record for starts since the Browns returned in 1999.

Joel Bitonio was one of the best Browns of the modern era. He played guard at an elite level, stayed loyal through chaos and became the offensive line standard after Joe Thomas retired.

Bitonio announced his retirement in 2026 after spending his entire 12-season career with Cleveland. That makes his Browns résumé complete: 178 starts, seven Pro Bowls, five All-Pro selections and a reputation as one of the cleanest leaders of the post-1999 era. He belongs near broader best offensive linemen of all-time conversations from a guard perspective.

Frank Ryan

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 1964 NFL champion, 3 Pro Bowls, threw 3 touchdown passes in the 1964 NFL Championship Game.

Frank Ryan is the last quarterback to lead the Browns to an NFL championship. That alone gives him permanent Cleveland weight.

The 1964 title game was his signature: three touchdown passes in a 27-0 win over the Baltimore Colts. Ryan’s Browns peak deserves more respect than it usually gets.

Michael Dean Perry

Browns stats/accolades: 7 seasons with Cleveland, 51.5 sacks as a Brown, 5 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro honors.

Michael Dean Perry was a problem from the interior. Shorter, powerful, explosive and hard to keep blocked, he gave Cleveland one of its best defensive line peaks after the classic championship eras.

His 51.5 sacks with the Browns still rank high in franchise history. Perry was not just William Perry’s brother. He was a star in his own right.

Ozzie Newsome

Browns stats/accolades: 13 seasons with Cleveland, franchise-record 662 receptions, 7,980 receiving yards, 47 touchdowns, 3 Pro Bowls, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Ozzie Newsome is the greatest tight end in Browns history. He was smooth, reliable, smart and way ahead of his time as a receiving tight end.

Newsome retired as one of the most productive tight ends football had ever seen. He belongs in any serious best tight ends of all-time discussion, and his Browns résumé is the entire reason why.

Paul Warfield

Browns stats/accolades: 8 seasons across two Cleveland stints, 1964 NFL champion, multiple Pro Bowls as a Brown, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Paul Warfield was elegance at wide receiver. His full NFL legacy includes Miami greatness too, but his Browns years were special. He gave Cleveland a deep threat who could change spacing with one route.

Warfield’s 1964 rookie season ended with an NFL championship, and his career eventually became Hall of Fame-worthy. He belongs in any wide receiver conversation where style and impact both count.

Tier 2: Inner-Circle Browns Greats

Tier 2 includes Joe Thomas, Clay Matthews, Leroy Kelly, Dick Schafrath, and Gene Hickerson.

Tier 2 is brutally strong. It has Hall of Fame offensive line play, a Hall of Fame running back, a franchise linebacker icon and two tackles/guards who helped shape Cleveland’s physical identity across very different eras.

Joe Thomas

Browns stats/accolades: 11 seasons with Cleveland, 10 Pro Bowls, 6 First-Team All-Pro selections, 10,363 consecutive snaps, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Joe Thomas is the greatest offensive lineman of the modern Browns era. He played on bad teams, protected a revolving door of quarterbacks and still performed like one of the best tackles in football every Sunday.

The 10,363 consecutive snaps number is absurd. Thomas belongs in the top tier of best offensive linemen of all-time debates, and Browns fans know how much he carried.

Clay Matthews

Browns stats/accolades: 16 seasons with Cleveland, 278 games, 4 Pro Bowls, longtime linebacker and one of the franchise’s most durable defenders.

Clay Matthews is one of the great longevity players in Browns history. Sixteen seasons in Cleveland at linebacker is not just impressive. It is almost ridiculous.

He was tough, smart, productive and central to the Browns’ defensive identity through the 1980s and early 1990s. Matthews is a franchise pillar.

Leroy Kelly

Browns stats/accolades: 10 seasons with Cleveland, 7,274 rushing yards, 74 rushing touchdowns, 6 Pro Bowls, 2 rushing titles, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Leroy Kelly had the impossible job: follow Jim Brown. Somehow, he still became a Hall of Fame running back and one of the greatest Browns ever.

Kelly led the NFL in rushing twice and kept Cleveland’s ground game dangerous after the greatest running back ever retired. That is not easy. He belongs in any team-focused best running backs of all-time discussion.

Dick Schafrath

Browns stats/accolades: 13 seasons with Cleveland, 6 Pro Bowls, multiple First-Team All-Pro selections, 1964 NFL champion.

Dick Schafrath was one of the best tackles from Cleveland’s old-school power years. He blocked for Jim Brown, protected championship-level offenses and gave the Browns a nasty edge up front.

Six Pro Bowls and a title-team role make his résumé loud. Schafrath was a serious player in a serious era.

Gene Hickerson

Browns stats/accolades: 15 seasons with Cleveland, 6 Pro Bowls, 3 First-Team All-Pro selections, 1964 NFL champion, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gene Hickerson was the road-grading guard behind some of the greatest rushing production in NFL history. Blocking for Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly is a nice way to get noticed, but Hickerson earned his own reputation.

He was powerful, consistent and eventually got the Hall of Fame recognition his career deserved. Hickerson is one of the great Browns linemen ever.

Tier 1: Greatest Cleveland Browns Players Ever

Tier 1 includes Myles Garrett, Jim Brown, and Otto Graham.

Tier 1 is historic. Jim Brown and Otto Graham are not just Browns legends; they are NFL pillars. Myles Garrett became Cleveland’s most dominant modern defender before his Browns career ended with the 2026 trade to the Rams.

Myles Garrett

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, franchise-record 125.5 sacks, 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards, multiple Pro Bowls, multiple First-Team All-Pro selections, NFL-record 23-sack season in 2025.

Myles Garrett is the greatest defensive player in Cleveland Browns history. That is a huge statement for a franchise this old, but Garrett’s peak was that powerful. He wrecked protections, tilted game plans and forced offenses to know where No. 95 was on every snap.

Garrett is no longer with the Browns after Cleveland traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in 2026. His Browns résumé is still Tier 1: a franchise sack record, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and a record-setting 23-sack season in 2025. He belongs in any modern best pass rushers of all-time debate.

Jim Brown

Browns stats/accolades: 9 seasons with Cleveland, 12,312 rushing yards, 106 rushing touchdowns, 8 rushing titles, 3 NFL MVP awards, 1964 NFL champion, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jim Brown is the greatest Cleveland Browns player of all-time if the debate starts with pure football dominance. He led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons. That is not a peak. That is a takeover.

Brown retired at the top, leaving behind numbers and film that still feel impossible. If you are building a list of the best running backs of all-time, he is the standard.

Otto Graham

Browns stats/accolades: 10 seasons with Cleveland, 7 league championships, 10 straight championship game appearances, 23,584 passing yards, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Otto Graham is the greatest quarterback in Cleveland Browns history. He took the Browns to a championship game every season he played. Read that again. Every season.

Graham’s seven championships and unmatched winning résumé make him one of football’s most important quarterbacks. He deserves a permanent spot in any best quarterbacks of all-time conversation, even if the era looks completely different from today.

Full Tier List Table: Best Cleveland Browns Players of All-Time

Note: This is a tier list, not a numbered ranking. The tiers are ranked, while players inside each tier are grouped together rather than ordered from best to worst.

FAQ: Best Cleveland Browns Players of All-Time

Is this a ranked list or a tier list?

This is a pure tier list. The tiers are ranked, but the players inside each individual tier are not ordered from best to worst.

Who is in Tier 1 of the best Cleveland Browns players of all-time tier list?

Tier 1 includes Myles Garrett, Jim Brown and Otto Graham. They represent the highest tier of Cleveland Browns greatness in this ranking.

Who is the greatest Cleveland Browns player of all-time?

Jim Brown has the cleanest argument as the greatest Cleveland Browns player of all-time because of his rushing titles, MVP awards, 1964 championship and all-time running back legacy. Myles Garrett and Otto Graham are also Tier 1 Browns legends.

Who is the best quarterback in Cleveland Browns history?

Otto Graham is the best quarterback in Cleveland Browns history. He led Cleveland to 10 straight championship games and won seven league championships, making him one of the greatest winners in football history.

Who is the best defensive player in Cleveland Browns history?

Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in Cleveland Browns history. He recorded a franchise-record 125.5 sacks with Cleveland, won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and became the most dominant Browns pass rusher of the modern era before being traded to the Rams in 2026.

Why are players inside each tier not ranked?

Players inside each tier are not ranked because the goal is to group Browns legends into similar franchise tiers. Once players are in the same tier, smaller differences often come down to preference, era context, peak versus longevity and positional value.

Who is the best running back in Cleveland Browns history?

Jim Brown is the best running back in Cleveland Browns history and has the strongest argument as the greatest running back in NFL history. Leroy Kelly, Nick Chubb, Mike Pruitt and Greg Pruitt also have major Browns rushing legacies.

Which modern Browns players are included?

Modern Browns players included on this tier list include Myles Garrett, Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, Joe Haden, Alex Mack and Baker Mayfield.

Which recent Browns players have completed their Cleveland chapters?

Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio and Nick Chubb all recently completed major Browns chapters. Garrett’s Cleveland career ended with a 2026 trade to the Rams, Bitonio retired in 2026, and Chubb left for Houston in 2025.

Conclusion: Ranking the Greatest Browns Ever

The best Cleveland Browns players of all-time tier list starts with Myles Garrett, Jim Brown and Otto Graham because those three represent different versions of football greatness. Garrett was the modern defensive wrecking ball. Brown is the greatest rushing force the NFL has ever seen. Graham is the quarterback who turned winning into a yearly expectation.

Behind them, Cleveland’s history is loaded with serious names. Joe Thomas gave the expansion-era Browns a Hall of Fame anchor. Leroy Kelly extended the franchise’s running back tradition after Jim Brown. Gene Hickerson, Dick Schafrath, Joel Bitonio and Doug Dieken show how deep the Browns’ offensive line history is. Ozzie Newsome and Paul Warfield add Hall of Fame skill-position class.

The recent era now has a different shape. Garrett gave Cleveland a defensive peak that belongs with any Browns great. Bitonio retired as one of the cleanest leaders of the post-1999 era. Chubb gave Cleveland a rushing peak fans will remember for decades. The next Browns stars will need more than numbers, though. In Cleveland, the players who climb highest are the ones who give the city something lasting.

If you want more all-time NFL rankings, you can also check out our best offensive linemen of all-time rankings, our best running backs of all-time list and our best quarterbacks of all-time tier list.

More NFL All-Time Player Rankings

For more franchise rankings, check out the NFL team all-time player rankings hub. For the rest of the AFC North, you can also read the best Baltimore Ravens players of all-time, best Cincinnati Bengals players of all-time and best Pittsburgh Steelers players of all-time lists.

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