Which Current Browns Players are Most Likely to be Inducted into the Team’s Ring of Honor?
In a statement bidding farewell to franchise legend Nick Chubb, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam offered consolation to fans distraught over the star running back’s departure, vowing to one day induct the four-time Pro Bowler into the team’s Ring of Honor. Assuming Haslam makes good on his promise, Chubb will become just the second Brown from the 21st century to receive the honor, joining only Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas. However, this group may not remain quite so exclusive for long. Multiple current players either actively possess a legitimate case for Ring of Honor consideration or are progressing toward building one.
Joel Bitonio, LG:
Cleveland’s longest-tenured player has devoted his entire eleven-year career to the Browns. Though all signs point to year twelve being the last for the 2014 second-rounder, Joel Bitonio’s Ring of Honor candidacy appears already cemented. The Nevada product is a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, including two First-team All-Pro selections. Beyond his decorated career on the gridiron, Bitonio is a multiple-time captain and has missed fewer than 20 games in his career, including just two games since 2017. While his Hall of Fame candidacy is less clear given Canton’s exceptionally high standard for offensive guards, Bitonio is perhaps the greatest interior lineman in the Browns’ history. Though the popular cliché warns, “nothing is guaranteed in life,” Joel Bitonio is a proven class act on and off the field. Concerning Cleveland’s Ring of Honor, he is a virtual lock.
Myles Garrett, DE:
Another virtual lock to one day enter the Ring of Honor in Cleveland is the top pick of the 2017 draft. Just eight years into his career and not yet 30 years of age, Myles Garrett is the team’s all-time leader in sacks and, in 2023, became the first Browns player ever to win Defensive Player of the Year. The six-time Pro Bowler is likely already the greatest defensive player in franchise history and is still firmly within his athletic prime, with six years left on his contract with the Browns. When all is said and done, the Ring of Honor will likely be but one of many prestigious honors bestowed upon Garrett. The standout defensive end is on a Hall of Fame trajectory while tracking to eventually have his number 95 retired in Cleveland’s rafters.”
Denzel Ward, CB:
Unlike the previous two names, Denzel Ward could not retire today and be a lock for Ring of Honor consideration. Though the hometown kid and former first-rounder has been dominant in the brown and orange, racking up four Pro Bowls in seven years, a Ring of Honor player typically contributes at least a decade of standout production to their team or has a historically impressive, Hall of Fame-caliber peak. Though the latter is not necessarily true for Ward, who has never been the consensus top player at his position, he is on the cusp of accomplishing the former. With just a handful more Pro Bowl seasons, Ward can solidify his status as a bona fide team legend. Worth monitoring, however, remains his issue with concussions, which have continually nagged at Ward throughout his career. If he can stave off these concerns, the former Ohio State star should have little trouble crafting a résumé worthy of Ring of Honor recognition.
