Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas was named to his 10th straight Pro Bowl Tuesday night, and with the honor Thomas joined some elite company.
Just four other players in NFL history -- Merlin Olsen, Mel Renfro, Barry Sanders and Lawrence Taylor -- were named to the Pro Bowl in at least the first 10 seasons of their careers. All of those players are Hall of Famers; only Olsen, with 14, went over 10.
Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, becomes the first player in Browns history to be named to the Pro Bowl 10 times. Hall of Famers Lou Groza and Jim Brown each went to nine Pro Bowls.
Thomas has seen and endured some, um, stuff in his time with the Browns, but he’s never missed a snap in his career and has started 158 consecutive games, the longest active streak by an offensive lineman.
“Joe is a warrior,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said Tuesday, per the team’s transcript. “He is unbelievable. I keep saying that...not just as a football player but as a person. He battles. He goes out there and he gives you everything he has. He wants to win. The thing I have most admired about him is what he has done in that locker room. This team is still together because of him and what he brings to that locker room each and every week after games and before games.”
