If there’s anyone associated with the Cleveland Browns organization who deserves genuine pity, it’s left tackle Joe Thomas. The future Hall of Famer has been with Cleveland his entire career, which started way back in 2007. The Browns went 10-6 in his rookie year, but since then the team hasn’t had a single winning season. Yet, Thomas always seemed optimistic coming into a new year, even if there was zero reason for it.
The narrative switched at the end of this past season though, as a miserable 3-13 year looked like it was the breaking point for Thomas. His final comments on the season indicated he was completely burnt out, claiming his future with the team depended on what was done in the offseason.
Based on the statements he made yesterday, Thomas seems to be thrilled with the moves Cleveland made, specifically the hire of new coach Hue Jackson. A player who just a few weeks ago sounded like he wanted to get out of dodge now appears to be all-in, which is another testament to how important the Jackson hire truly was.
Again, it was impossible to blame Thomas for the comments he made at the end of last season. Knowing full-well he was about to watch a coach and GM get fired for the fifth time since he joined the Browns, optimism was understandably tough to find. At 31 years old, Thomas doesn’t have a ton left in the tank, and it certainly didn’t seem like staying in Cleveland would be the most fulfilling way to spend the final seasons of his career.
However, the fact that one hire could change Thomas’ perspective from “where’s the exit” to “super excited” certainly says a lot. Suddenly, someone who was so beaten down by the years of losing is now talking about the team going on “a nice little run.”
All thanks to Jackson signing on to coach the Browns.
There’s a reason that, outside of the Johnny Manziel saga, the buzz around Cleveland is strangely positive. It’s the same reason Thomas had a sudden change of heart, now sounding like he’s genuinely excited with where this team is going.
The fact is hiring Jackson was just not a move anyone thought the Browns could pull off. Their last three coaching hires – Mike Pettine, Rob Chudzinski, Pat Shurmur – weren’t on any other team’s radar. At the same time, the reason they were hired was because Cleveland had bottom-barrel appeal and couldn’t be sold to top candidates.
That Jackson, seen by many as one of the best available coaches, would sign on to lead a franchise notorious for getting in its own way implies things could potentially be changing for the better.
Granted, Jackson still hasn’t done much work outside of hiring his staff. All these positive vibes could be dashed in a hurry if the upcoming season starts poorly, or even if Cleveland pulls off a questionable draft.
At the same time, it’s been quite a while since anyone had anything good to say about this team. Thomas reveling in how the Browns got the coach he wanted, calling the move a “huge coup,” is quite a shift from the tone he was taking the last time we heard from him.
As you can see, the Jackson hire is still quite a big deal for the Browns, and Thomas’ comments are a prime example of how much impact the move has been making.
