NFL fans from the mid to late 2000s likely have fond memories of Josh Cribbs. Even if they weren’t Cleveland Browns supporters, Cribbs was one of the most dynamic kickoff returners in the league.
He is now viewed as one of the best returners of all time, as he is third on the all-time list in terms of yards. Cribbs’ official position on the Browns was wide receiver, but he rarely made the type of impact on offense that he was able to create as a returner.
Cribbs’ career was legendary, but there are aspects of it he wishes he could change.
He talked about ways he would have done things differently in a recent segment of the “Top Dawgs Show.”
“I would have even made different decisions, because I wanted to play longer. I would have taken less hits, I would have stepped out of bounds,” Cribbs said.
.@JoshCribbs16 opens up about his fearless playstyle. #DawgPound
"I wanted to play longer. I would've taken less hits."
Presented by @Preston_Cars https://t.co/WYndpJndqQ pic.twitter.com/2DMTpn8osq
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) December 11, 2025
As Cribbs mentioned, his career was filled with a lot of big hits, with many of them initiated by him. The NFL was played a lot differently then than it is now, as players seemed to take massive helmet-to-helmet hits every game.
Cribbs did have a 10-year playing career, with eight of those years being with the Browns, but had he been more mindful about his body and playing style as a whole, there’s no telling how many more seasons he could have played.
Many former NFLers talk about what things could have been like if they played in a different era, and Browns fans would probably like to have prime Cribbs on the team now, especially with the new kickoff rules.
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