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Joe Thomas: Tyrod Taylor Can Get into Hall of Fame by Getting Browns to Playoffs
July 25, 2018
Former Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas believes quarterback Tyrod Taylor is going to lead his former team to the playoffs and eventually find himself in the Hall of Fame.
"I think Tyrod Taylor is going to go right from Cleveland to the Hall of Fame by taking the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs for the first in what? Nineteen or 20 years? And then doing the same thing for the Cleveland Browns in back-to-back seasons," Thomas said, per Nick Wojton of USA Today's Bills Wire. "I love Tyrod. I think he can do great things. He's looked great all spring, and I think he'll lead the Browns to the playoffs."
While Taylor hasn't exactly put up the numbers of peers like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees when talking about surefire Hall of Fame quarterbacks among the active generation, it is a partial credit to him the Bills reached the playoffs in 2017 following a 17-year drought.
Leading Cleveland to the postseason in 2018 would snap a 15-year drought and add another accomplishment to his resume. Doing so figures to be a monumental task, though, considering the Browns won a total of one combined game the last two seasons.
Taylor won't have Thomas to help block for him after he retired but does have the confidence of head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson said in May that Taylor would start over rookie Baker Mayfield, whom the Browns selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft, per Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan.
Taylor threw for 2,799 yards, ran for 427 yards and totaled 18 touchdowns last year for the Bills and hasn't thrown for more than 3,035 yards a single time in his career.
He still has a long way to go to be up for Hall of Fame consideration despite the praise from Thomas, but Cleveland fans would surely settle for a playoff appearance over a plaque in Canton, Ohio, at this point.