The Cleveland Browns are well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame down I-77 in Canton. There are 22 Hall of Famers who spent at least one season with the franchise, including founder/coach Paul Brown.
There are several other Browns alums who at least merit a conversation about Hall-of-Fame worthiness. At least one of these players will eventually earn enshrinement, but all are worth discussing. Here are the seven Cleveland Browns not currently in the Hall of Fame that have the best cases for getting in at some point.
Clay Matthews
It’s almost shameful that Matthews wasn’t part of the centennial class in 2020. He’s widely cited as one of the best players not already in the Hall, and has held that status for several years.
During his 16 seasons in Cleveland (1978-1993), Matthews was a model of consistent excellence. The Browns list Matthews as the team’s career sack leader with 76.5, although some of those were notched before sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982.
Matthews made four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team, but he was a player whose impact transcended the traditional statistics. He does have the stats too, however; Matthews led the NFL in total tackles four times and he’s the only player to log at least one 100-tackle season in three separate decades.