Insider Names 3 Potential Hall Of Famers For Browns

The Cleveland Browns have a unique relationship to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the NFL franchise closest to the venue’s Canton, Ohio, location. They also have 18 player inductees whose primary team was the Browns, a number that ranks among the league’s 10 best.

So, whenever a Browns representative does get inducted into the Hall, it is a bit of a more special event. Looking ahead, there could be a few of those days in the coming years.

Insider Bill Barnwell of ESPN named three potential Hall of Famers on the current Browns roster – Jared Verse, Carson Schwesinger, and Denzel Ward – while also mentioning Myles Garrett, who is now with the Los Angeles Rams.

“While Myles Garrett has already done enough to earn enshrinement, Verse — who came to Cleveland in the Garrett trade this summer — is years of high play and a leveling up away from matching that. Schwesinger succeeded Verse as Defensive Rookie of the Year, and while off-ball linebackers can struggle to rack up the sort of stats that draw attention from voters, the 2025 second-rounder managed 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in his debut season,” Barnwell wrote.

Garrett is almost assuredly a first-ballot selection after recording 125.5 sacks in his nine seasons with Cleveland, including a record-breaking 23.0 last year. The defensive end is also a five-time All-Pro and a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

That will make Verse the subject of many difficult-to-live-up-to comparisons after his arrival in the trade that sent Garrett to the Rams. Already recognized as one of the league’s best players, Verse has just 12.0 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, but if he can increase those numbers with the Browns and help them maintain their level as one of the league’s best defenses, he might have a chance.

Schwesinger may have just one season under his belt, but it was a good first step toward possible enshrinement. In fact, this season, he can threaten the record for most tackles in a player’s first two seasons that is held by linebacker Luke Kuechly, a former Carolina Panthers great who is being inducted on Saturday.

Ward may not seem like an obvious choice to those outside Cleveland, but a closer look reveals the cornerback’s credentials may be worthy. He has been a five-time Pro Bowl selection over his eight seasons, and while one’s contract is not necessarily a fair measure of a player’s status, he recently became the league’s highest-paid at his position for a second time, which shows where he rates among the game’s current best.

All of these potential Hall of Fame honors are still years away, but the idea could give fans something to keep their eyes on in the next decade or so.