The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line wasn’t particularly good last season.
That’s not common for this team.
For years, the Browns were used to having an elite offensive line.
That’s why Jonathon Macri of PFF even chose the legendary Joe Thomas as one of the best players of the past 25 years.
The Browns’ Hall of Famer got the nod for his unmatched ability to keep the passer out of harm’s way:
“[Joe] Thomas is truly one of the best of all time at his position, having delivered the highest career PFF pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman in the PFF era (95.9),” Macri wrote. “Thomas allowed just a 4.0% pressure rate in his career, the second-best mark among all offensive tackles with at least 5,000 pass-blocking snaps. He holds the PFF record for most seasons (six) with a pass-blocking grade above 90.0.”
Like most offensive linemen, Thomas didn’t always get the credit he deserved.
He was a class act on and off the field, but he was also a fierce competitor who was never going to back down from any challenge.
Thomas held his ground for a decade, spending his entire career with the Browns organization.
He was a 10-time Pro Bowler and earned eight All-Pro selections (six first-team, two second-team).
He was also a part of the 2010’s All-Decade team and still holds an NFL record for the most consecutive snaps played (10,363).
Thomas started in all 167 games he played, and while the team could never find much consistency at the quarterback position, whoever they had could always count on Thomas to protect his blind side.
The Browns have yet to find someone as reliable as Thomas at offensive tackle.
Given how much this offensive line needs to rebuild for the future, perhaps they should seek his input when considering drafting someone else.
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