Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns: 3 MVPs from the tough 2016 season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:39 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jonathan Goehring/FanSided via Dawg Pound Daily

There may not be many positives to take away from a miserable 2016 season, but these three Cleveland Browns players are deserving of some credit.

It is no secret that 2016 was an extremely rough season for the Cleveland Browns. Spending most of the season with the looming question of whether or not they would win a single game, the amount of talent present was completely overshadowed.

It seems counter-intuitive to name any player from the 2016 Browns as an “MVP” of any kind. But upon further examination at the conclusion of the tragedy which was this past season, there were several players who put forth admirable effort.

The Browns and their fans may have no desire to reflect on 2016, but doing so does provide some sort of closure. Since it is only January and the NFL playoffs are taking center stage, this is the time to look back before setting out on the long journey ahead.

In the middle of such a demoralizing season, three players especially stood out, going beyond the status quo of Browns football. Unfortunately, none will receive sufficient credit for their efforts due to the constant narrative of negativity surrounding the organization which shuts out any hint of optimism.

If nothing else, fans ought to feel sympathy towards these players who poured their hearts out for the Browns, although it didn’t work out. These three players are Cleveland’s 2016 MVPs.

Joe Thomas

Left tackle Joe Thomas is the epitome of consistency. And for the Browns over the past decade, this is something clearly absent from the roster. This makes Thomas an exception, and one whose loyalty is worth recognition following failed season after failed season.

2016 wasn’t the 32-year-old’s sharpest, as he appears to be physically worn down and past his prime. But Thomas is still a Pro Bowler, and a valuable asset to the team.

This is most evident based on the veteran’s reliability and discipline. Playing in all 16 games this season, the left tackle position occupied by Thomas was the only position on the line with any sort of stability whatsoever. Thomas also committed just four penalties all year, a remarkable feat showing just how solid of a lineman he still is.

Terrelle Pryor

Over the last decade, the Browns have been fortunate to have play-making threats at the receiver position. Unfortunately, neither Braylon Edwards nor Josh Gordon worked out in the long-term. With Terrelle Pryor‘s impressive 2016 campaign, fans can only hope the same doesn’t happen to the former quarterback.

All this aside, Pryor’s season surprised many who did not think the transition to the receiver position would work out as quickly as it did. Finishing with 1,007 receiving yards and four touchdown catches, fans are left to wonder what the 6-foot-4 receiver would do under more ideal circumstances at the quarterback position.

In fact, Pryor’s season was so productive, he has even received a degree of league-wide recognition. Named one of the top ten breakout players according to Pro Football Focus, the 27-year-old burst onto the scene this season, catching 77 passes as opposed to the one reception he recorded in 2015.

Whether or not Pryor will be a Brown for 2017 and beyond is another question. But his efforts alone as far as this past season is enough to make him one of the team’s 2016 MVPs.

Christian Kirksey

An underappreciated unit on a struggling inexperienced Cleveland defense in 2016 was the linebackers. Overshadowed by the midseason trade for Jamie Collins, rookie Emmanuel Ogbah and veteran Demario Davis put together a solid season.

But Christian Kirksey was most consistent among this group of promising linebackers. Playing in all 16 games, Kirksey was critical in the team’s late season improvement against the run. In a very difficult season in which the defense surrendered 28.2 points per game, the former Iowa Hawkeye established himself as a leader and worked toward making the most of the nightmare season.

Kirksey still leaves a little to be desired as a player, as he is not a natural pass rusher and struggled covering tight ends, but his 93 tackles this season proves he has no issue being an integral part of an NFL defense.

It isn’t necessarily easy to find members of the Browns who stood out as valuable players this past season. Still, Thomas, Pryor, and Kirksey were three players who poured everything they had into a difficult season. For this, they ought to be commended.