The Cleveland Browns have not been successful since their return to the NFL fold in 1999. They’ve managed just 142 wins from that point, which is the lowest in the league for the period. Yes, that’s even behind the Houston Texans, who weren’t even founded until 2002. No wonder Joe Thomas is the only player from the revived Browns franchise to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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While every other position was a carousel during Thomas’ 11-year career (2007 to 2017), the left tackle remained a symbol of permanence, and, needless to say, a franchise stalwart. Thomas blocked for 23 different QBs in his 167-game career.
That comes out to about seven games per QB. And none of them are getting anywhere near Canton. In contrast, Thomas was recognized year after year for his individual brilliance, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of his first 10 seasons, becoming just the fifth player to do so. All those accolades and games came at a huge physical price, though.
Thomas’ 10 Pro Bowls are fifth-most all-time among tackles, and his six First-Team All-Pro designations are fifth as well. However, no one — whether left tackle, quarterback, center, or any other position — can match Thomas’ incredible Iron Man streak of 10,363 straight snaps.
That’s by far the best streak since 1999, when snap counts started getting tracked for the first time. Even though playing that many straight snaps was great for his resume, it wasn’t great on his body, as he explained recently.
“Considering that was 10.5 seasons, never missed a play. I feel okay by that standard. I just had my hip replaced 3-ish months ago, but I’m feeling great. Back to swimming, yoga, and playing a little basketball. Got the hip done, and I’m feeling way better,” said Thomas, before adding how his bad hip was not a standalone issue he suffered.
The hip issue caused other health problems for Thomas, most notably his back. “It was really, really bad. And it was really affecting my back. Which I didn’t realize they were so linked together, but I was having really, really bad back problems,” he said.
“And the hip was hurting. But since I did the hip, the back feels great. I just [have] to monitor it… There are certain parts of my body, like the outside of my left knee, just because of the position I was in all the time. That’s way worse than other parts,” Thomas added.
The left tackle’s memory hasn’t taken a hit, though. He was able to name over 20 of those 23 QBs he blocked for during his HOF career. He could also remember his very first NFL snap: A matchup with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who went on to win Defensive Player of the Year that season (2007).
“I think I pancaked him. [Laughs] I don’t remember exactly, so this might not be completely true, but I’m pretty sure I pancaked him. Gave him one of those standing over the top things that you get a flag for now… Don’t tell James I said that, by the way. Dude, have you seen him on Instagram? If I saw him in the street, I’d still call him Mr. Harrison,” narrated Thomas, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Thomas has kept busy since the induction. In 2024, he signed on as the offensive line coach for the Munich Ravens, who won a division title in the fledgling European League of Football (ELF) in 2025.
