Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Cleveland Browns.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Browns were awful, winning only three games.  Despite this dismal performance, there was one new entry and three elevations on the all-time list.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a new entrant to the elite group.

1. Jim Brown
2. Otto Graham
3. Joe Thomas
4. Lou Groza
5. Myles Garrett 

You can find the entire list here.

The change in the top five saw 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett move up five spots and knock Hall of Fame Tight End Ozzie Newsome from that spot.

Offensive Guard Joel Bitonio moved up three spots to #16 after adding his seventh Pro Bowl in 2024.

Running Back Nick Chubb, who is now a Houston Texan, did enough to move up one spot to #43.

The lone new entry is Cornerback Denzel Ward.  He comes in at #46.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

A consensus All-American at Ohio State, Denzel Ward was the first Defensive Back taken in the 2018 Draft, going fourth overall to Cleveland, the team that he has played his entire career for as of this writing.

Ward has been a consistent and potent presence on the Browns' secondary, using his aggressiveness and guile, and at present is a four-time Pro Bowl selection.  While the overall performance of the Cleveland defence has been spotty over his career, his defensive impact over his tenure is bested only by Myles Garrett. 

The Browns are rebuilding again in 2025, but at Left Cornerback, they have nothing to worry about.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #128.  Peak Period 2020-24

A four-time Pro Bowl Selection, Denzel Ward has sneakily been one of the most efficient Cornerbacks in the NFL.  Still in his prime, Ward has time to make a Hall of Fame case.