Joe Thomas and Myles Garrett recognized for their greatness.
The Cleveland Browns have not had much going for them in the past 25 years.
And quarterbacks. So many quarterbacks.
Despite all that, the Browns have still had some memorable players. Running back Nick Chubb, offensive linemen Alex Mack and Joel Bitonio, kick returner Josh Cribbs, and kicker Phil Dawson all come to mind.
Two players stand at the top, however, so it is fitting that offensive tackle Joe Thomas and defensive end Myles Garrett are represented on Pro Football Focus’ list of the best players of the past 25 years.
Related: Hall of Famer Joe Thomas: Exclusive interview with Browns legend
First up is Thomas, who in 11 seasons with the Browns earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, was a six-time All-Pro selection, was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team, and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023.
Thomas earned a career grade of 96.8 from PFF to take the site’s top spot at left tackle:
Thomas is truly one of the best of all time at his position, having delivered the highest career PFF pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman in the PFF era (95.9).
Thomas allowed just a 4.0% pressure rate in his career, the second-best mark among all offensive tackles with at least 5,000 pass-blocking snaps. He holds the PFF record for most seasons (six) with a pass-blocking grade above 90.0. For context, honorable mention Trent Williams, who has six seasons of 90.0-plus PFF overall grades, has just one season with a 90.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grade.
Garrett was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft and has been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks from the moment he stepped on the field.
since his very first play we’ve seen nothing but pure greatness from @Flash_Garrett ⚡️
watch every single one of Myles’ 100 career sacks pic.twitter.com/vioKMy0X11
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 24, 2024
Garrett is the first player to have at least 14 sacks in a season for four consecutive years, as well as the first player to record 100 sacks before the age of 29. He is also the fifth player since 1982 with at least 100 sacks in his first eight seasons and tied with Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor as the fourth fastest players to reach 100 sacks.
Garrett currently carries a career grade of 94.8 from PFF to earn one of the two spots at defensive end:
Garrett is arguably the most effective pass rusher in the PFF era, earning the highest career mark for the position (95.5) through his eight NFL seasons. He has now posted six straight seasons with at least a 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade, ranking first at his position three times and no worse than in the top 10 in every season outside of his rookie year.
Garrett’s career 20.9% pass-rush win rate is the top mark among edge defenders — and 2.4 percentage points higher than the next closest qualifying player (Nick Bosa).
With Garrett showing no signs of slowing down, it would not be a surprise to one day see him alongside Thomas in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If you were building an All-Browns team from the past 25 years, who would be on your roster? Let us know in the comments.