The Cleveland Browns have a storied–and sometimes confusing–history. Steve Cook looks at the quarterback portion of it, ranking the Top 5 Cleveland Browns QBs!

It’s easy to forget that the Cleveland Browns actually have a proud tradition. Most of it took place before many of us were alive. They won seven out of ten championships during their first decade in existence, but their last title would come in 1964.

If I have any readers that were alive the last time the Browns won a league championship, let me know!

Their quarterback history has become a punchline during the last two decades. We’ve all seen the jersey with the lengthy list of names. Baker Mayfield is the first man since Tim Couch to lead the team in passing for three straight seasons. In order to rank the greatest Browns quarterbacks of all time, we have no choice but to go back to before they went on hiatus in the late 1990s.

5. Bill Nelsen

Nelsen had a relatively short run with the Browns, only leading the team from 1968 until early in the 1972 season. It was a successful run though, as the Browns went 34-16-1 during his tenure and made three playoff appearances. Like many players, Nelsen was plagued by injuries, which led to his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers not going well. He was traded to the Browns before the 1968 season, and once he got the starting position he led the Browns to a 9-2 record & a playoff berth.

Things also went well in 1969, as Nelsen got his one & only Pro Bowl selection & led the Browns on another playoff run. Knee injuries would lead to the end of Nelsen’s career after the 1972 season.

4. Brian Sipe

Sipe was born in San Diego & went to San Diego State, where he was developed by coach Don Coryell. Cleveland is quite a different experience from San Diego, but that’s where he was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1972 NFL Draft. Sipe spent his first few seasons as a backup, finally catching on as the full time starter in 1978. He quickly became known for leading the Browns to many comeback victories & game winning drives, ending up with 17 comebacks and 23 game-winners during his career.

Sipe led the NFL in touchdown passes (28) & interceptions (26) in 1979, but 1980 was by far his finest season. He led the Browns to an 11-5 record while winning the MVP award, throwing for 4,132 yards & 30 touchdowns. These are still Cleveland single season records. Unfortunately, the next season saw the Browns go 5-11 & Sipe’s performance take a steep decline. He rebounded in 1983, his last season with the Browns before spending his last two in the USFL.

3. Frank Ryan

Ryan was drafted by the Rams in the 1958 NFL Draft, then traded to the Browns prior to the 1962 season. Ryan became the starting quarterback when Jim Ninowski got hurt, and he didn’t look back. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three straight seasons (1964-66) & led the league in touchdown passes in 1964 & 66. 1964 also saw the Browns win their most recent NFL Championship.

The 1964 Pro Bowl saw the beginning of injury issues that would plague Ryan for the rest of his career. A shoulder injury led to more arm issues during 1965, and surgery in early 1967 affected his throwing motion. Ryan was benched in 1968 & would retire in 1970 with Washington, where he would later work as director of information services for the U.S. House of Representatives before spending the rest of his life in other academic endeavors.

2. Bernie Kosar

People of my age and slightly older grew up with Bernie Kosar as the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. Prior to that, Kosar led the Miami Hurricanes to their first national championship, coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger. Bernie, a Youngstown native, pulled some strings to get drafted by the Browns in the 1985 Supplemental Draft. After starter Gary Danielson was injured, Kosar got the starting gig, and in 1986 the Browns made it to the AFC Championship Game. It was the closest they’ve gotten to a Super Bowl appearance, as John Elway drove the Denver Broncos 98 yards to tie the Browns in the last seconds so they could win in overtime.

The experience wasn’t a complete loss for Kosar, as he set the then-record for passing yards in a playoff game during the divisional round with 489 yards. Kosar also set the record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes, which stood until Matt Ryan broke it in 2017. 1987 saw Bernie make the Pro Bowl in a strike-shortened season where he still managed to throw his most touchdown passes in a single season. The Browns went back to the AFC Championship Game, only to come up short against the Broncos again, this time due to a fumble on the one yard line by Earnest Byner. Had either of these games gone the other way, Kosar & Marty Schottenheimer get far more accolades from NFL writers & experts.

Kosar set another long-standing record when he went 308 passes without throwing an interception in a span covering parts of the 1990 & 91 seasons. The Browns & Kosar would struggle in the early 1990s, and coach Bill Belichick would bench Kosar in 1993, to the anger & frustration of Browns fans that liked their guy. Kosar would end his career as a backup for the Cowboys & Dolphins, and is still one of the most beloved ex-Browns.

1. Otto Graham

The Browns started off in the All-America Football Conference in 1946. While Graham wasn’t the team’s first quarterback, he would soon take the helm and lead the Browns to four straight championships. Paul Brown’s offense & Graham’s leadership made for a winnng combination. Graham led the AAFC in passing yards three out of the four seasons the league existed, and in most of the other relevant passing statistics on multiple occasions. His quarterback rating of 112.1 in 1946 stood as a professional football record until 1989.

The Browns entered the NFL in 1950, and didn’t lose a step despite supposedly stepping up to face fiercer competition. Graham found just as much success against NFL defenses as he had in the AAFC, winning the MVP award in 1951, 53 & 55. The Browns won the NFL Championship in 1950, 54 & 55, while losing the championship game in 1951, 52 & 53. During the ten seasons Graham played, nobody was better at the quarterback position.

Graham and a number of his teammates that had been around from the beginning of the franchise retired after the 1955 season. Paul Brown was fired after the 1962 season. The Browns would win the NFL Championship in 1964, but haven’t won one since.