The Cleveland Browns history of quarterback play is higher than the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Browns aren’t known for their quarterbacks but they’ve nearly cracked the top half of the league.
The last 24 years have not been kind to the Cleveland Browns. While the mid-1990s weren’t great for the team, that time period looks like the Tom Brady-era New England Patriots compared to what the team has been through since 1999. The Browns haven’t been good.
That’s not even a controversial take. In fact, for Browns’ fans, the controversial takes often center around fans talking about how a particular year wasn’t *that bad*. And there are a lot of reasons for why the Browns haven’t been good. Poor ownership, poor coaching, poor drafting, poor everything really. Yet, one of the more often cited problems has been the quarterback play.
They haven’t had a lot of success in that department. Since 1999, the best quarterback they’ve had is Baker Mayfield. Deshaun Watson may surpass him eventually, but even if he does, it’s those two. Those two and a few others even deserve to be in the conversation.
So it’s not a surprise that when the team gets mentioned, the history of quarterbacks often gets underlooked. Yet, according to NFL Rewind, the Browns’ history of quarterbacks isn’t as bad as you think.
The Cleveland Browns had Tom Brady before Tom Brady
The Browns came in ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens, and while some more modern fans may scoff at that, it’s fair. The Bengals have never won a championship in their history and the Ravens have only won two. So between Carson Palmer, Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Trent Difler, Andy Dalton, and Joe Burrow, they only have two titles.
The Cleveland Browns, under Otto Graham’s leadership, won seven. Four AAFC and three NFL championships. Graham’s leadership didn’t just manifest itself into seven titles, but for a brief time at the end of his career, Graham was also the all-time leader in passing yards before Bart Starr and Y.A. Tittle broke it nearly a decade later. He was also second all-time in passing touchdowns when he retired, right behind Sammy Baugh.
Having the original Brady apparently helped the Browns’ standing. Two other names cited were Bernie Kosar and Brian Sipe. Both names helped elevate the franchise for nearly 20 years across the 1970s, through the 1980s, and into the 1990s.
While the Browns have a long way to go to elevate their franchise, it’s still great to see the squad get recognized for what they’ve done before.
Next. 3 receivers for the Cleveland Browns who need to prove their worth this year. dark
- Published on 07/09/2023 at 20:00 PM
- Last updated at 07/09/2023 at 20:00 PM