• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Browns Nation

Browns News. Rumors. Highlights. Now

  • Home
  • News
  • Draft
  • Podcast
  • History
  • All-Time Lists
  • Team
    • Shop
    • Schedule
  • About
You are here: Home / All-Time Lists / Cleveland Browns All Time Career Sack Leaders List

Cleveland Browns All Time Career Sack Leaders List

By Jimmy Swartz October 17, 2019 @brownsnationcom

clay matthews
Linebacker Clay Matthews #57 of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sidelines.
Circa the 1980’s.

The Cleveland Browns’ Career Sack Leaders

 

The Cleveland Browns have had many great defenders over the years that helped them win many games.

But none of them had more sacks the players listed below.

Many of these players are in the Hall of Fame while others had brief, but fruitful careers in Cleveland.

We take a look at the Brown’s all-time sack leaders as well as reflect on their career and time with the Browns.

 

5. Reggie Camp

 

The player with the fifth-most sacks in Cleveland history is Reggie Camp, a player that many may not remember playing with the Browns.

Camp started his career here in 1983 and played until 1987.

Later, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, where he played for another year.

His stats here will reflect both his time at Cleveland and his career with the Falcons, as he had no sacks in Atlanta.

 

Camp earned a total of 35 sacks in his five years and 70 games with the Browns – that’s good for a sack every two games.

He also had two fumble recoveries in his career. Most of his damage was done early in his career, as he picked up of his sacks in 1984 alone and 8.5 in the next season.

In other years, he either had very few sacks or none at all. Currently, Camp is a high school football coach in California.

 

4. Carl Hairston

 

Carl Hairston is a defensive end who has 30 seasons with the NFL both as a player and as a coach.

He played in a Super Bowl and coached in one, though he did not win.

Though he started his career in Philadelphia, he went to Cleveland in 1984 and played until 1989.

His career ended with the Cardinals in 1990, after which he retired and got into coaching instead of playing football.

 

During his 92 games with the Browns, Hairston picked up a total of 37.5 sacks – just under 2.5 sacks per game.

Unlike other defensive ends on this list, Hairston picked up an interception as well.

After catching the ball, he ran for 40 yards.

And his post-NFL coaching career has seen him focusing on defensive linemen and how to get sacks more effectively.

 

3. Rob Burnett

 

Another defensive end with a strong career with the Browns, Rob Burnett was a promising player chosen in the fifth round by the Browns.

While he played with Cleveland, he was good enough to earn a Pro Bowl nod.

Burnett stayed with the Browns until the Browns moved to Baltimore and continued to play with the Ravens after the move.

As a result, Burnett earned a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001.

 

During his time with the Browns, he played 93 games and picked up an interception for three yards.

By the time he was done, he’d earned 40.5 sacks with the Browns – good for just over 2.2 per game. If the Ravens had stayed the Browns, he would have had 64 sacks with the team – two better than the leader.

 

2. Michael Dean Perry

 

As a defensive tackle, Michael Dean Perry made a significant impact on the Browns during his career.

While perhaps overshadowed by his brother, William “The Refrigerator” Perry at the time, Michael was a strong and skilled player who learned from his older brother.

Drafted in the second round of the 1988 draft, Perry went on to play in the Pro Bowl six times and later played with the Broncos and Chiefs.

 

Perry was also a bit of a local legend in Cleveland, as he had a sandwich named in his honor – the MDP, the most massive sandwich made by McDonald’s at the time.

During his career with the Browns, he played in 109 games and picked up 51.5 sacks.

That’s good for a rate of 2.11 per game – a rate that is slightly lower than others here but still noteworthy.

 

1. Clay Matthews Jr.

 

Fans of the Green Bay Packers or the Los Angeles Rams may be confused by this listing. Clay Matthews never played for the Browns.

That’s true: his father did.

The modern player is Clay Matthews III and is the third person with that name to play in the NFL as a defender.

While the first Clay was more of a lineman, both the second and third chose linebacker as their chief position.

 

With the Browns – where he stayed from 1978 to 1993 – Clay Matthews Jr. earned a Hall of Fame career.

He played in a total of 19 seasons and has the most appearances as a linebacker in league history.

Matthews also has the third-most tackles in league history (1,561 or an average of 5.6 per game) and leads the Browns in sacks.

During his 232 games with the team, he picked up 62 sacks – or about an average of three per game – and had 16 interceptions for a total of 206 yards and one touchdown.

Clay was also recently inducted in the Browns Ring of Honor at First Energy Stadium.

Recent News

clay matthews
Top 10 Best Linebackers In Cleveland Browns History (Updated)
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam looks on during drills during the Cleveland Browns Training Camp on July 28, 2019, at the at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea, Ohio.
Ranking The Owners Of The Cleveland Browns (Top 5)
Kelly Holcomb of the Cleveland Browns during the Browns 33-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
25 Greatest Free Agent Signings In Cleveland Browns History

Filed Under: All-Time Lists

About Jimmy Swartz

Owner and Founder of BrownsNation.com. As a freelance sports journalist being born and raised in Ohio, I understand the Cleveland Browns fan base. Whether it was Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Move, and whatever we're calling the post-1999 quarterback dilemma, Browns fans just want a winner. When I'm not plugging away in front of the computer, I'm probably watching sports or thinking about sports.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

Trending News

Search Browns Nation

Footer

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

 

Join Our Newsletter

Contact Us

 

Follow us

Copyright © 2021 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Brownsnation.com

Copyright © 2020 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BrownsNation.com is not affiliated with the Cleveland Browns or the National Football League