Cleveland Browns: Ranking the 20 best former players since 1999

10) LG Eric Steinbach

Started 62 games at left guard
Pro Bowler (1x) – 2007
– Eric Steinbach was part of that magical 2007 season but he was arguably a much better player than his teammates who also went to the pro bowl that season (save for Joe Thomas). He was taken by the Bengals with the first pick in the 2nd round of the 2003 Draft and became the Browns’ biggest free-agent signing at the time. He stabilized the left side of the line for nearly four years before being released after the 2011 season.

9) CB Daylon McCutcheon

Started 96 of 103 games played.
Forced Fumbles – 8
Interceptions – 12
Pass Deflections – 63
Career Tackles – 424
Defensive TDs – 2
– It might be hard to understand why Daylon McCutcheon is this high to the unaware.  McCutcheon was one of four really useful players drafted in 1999, with Couch, Johnson and former linebacker Wali Rainer. McCutcheon outlasted all of them and was the longest-tenured player until Phil Dawson and Joe Thomas unseated him. McCutcheon was a starter from the jump basically and was part of the Browns’ best seasons, save for the 2007 season. He was a blue-collar worker, who was never known for his athleticism, just his grit, and grind. The most Browns player of his era.

8) LS Ryan Pontbriand

5th Round Pick (probably the highest ever for a long snapper)
Played eight seasons
Played in 134 of 144 possible games.
Pro Bowler (2x) – 2007 and 2008
– Yes, a Long Snapper made it into the top ten. I’m not sure if he’s the highest-drafted ever, because I’m sure a regular lineman was taken in the first round who also long snapped, yet I can’t think of one person who was drafted solely to be a long snapper. According to his wiki page, Pontbriand in college was only the team’s long snapper and didn’t play an every-down position, which was apparently good enough to get him drafted in the fifth round. Pontbriand lived up to Butch Davis’s expectations as he earned two Pro Bowl appearances for special teams. He was efficient, even if he only played a special team position.

7) OLB Jamir Miller

Tackles – 300
Sacks – 22.5
Interceptions – 2
Pro Bowler (1x) – 2001
All-Pro (1x) -2001 (*First for the franchise since its returned)
– Jamir Miller will go down as a sad song for the Browns. A top-ten pick for the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, Miller joined the Browns in 1999 through free agency and became an instant star for the organization. While not a bust, he was a bit of a disappointment for the Cardinals organization, only amounting to 13.5 sacks through five years. He would become an All-Pro in 2001, finally achieving his potential. He started the 2002 pre-season however, by tearing his Achilles tendon.  This injury caused him to never play again, and he ultimately retired in early 2003 after being waived by the team.

6) SS T.J. Ward

Tackles – 325
Sacks – 3.5
Forced Fumbles – 10
Fumble Recoveries – 4
Interceptions – 5
Pass Deflections – 22
Defensive Touchdown – 1
Pro Bowler (1x) – 2013
– TJ Ward and D’Qwell Jackson were set to be cornerstones of the team for years until Ray Farmer let them leave in free agency and replaced them with less talented, older, and more expensive players in Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby. While Jackson would earn a pro bowl birth with Indianapolis, Ward earned one of his two with The Browns and was even named a second-team All-Pro in 2013. Ward would go on to win a Super Bowl with Denver.