Cleveland Browns: 10-win season in 2007
The 2007 NFL Draft was supposed to change the course of the Cleveland Browns future. After taking Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas No. 3 overall and then trading back into the first round for quarterback Brady Quinn, it was assumed they had their two most important positions on offense figured out.
Thomas was the real deal, as he was an instant starter for the Browns and played in more than 10,000-straight snaps before being injured and hanging it up in 2017. As for Quinn, he never panned out and had to watch as a rookie while Derek Anderson put together a shockingly good season for the Browns.
On the heels of four consecutive losing seasons, it seemed as though things would continue to deteriorate for Cleveland. Head coach Romeo Crennel named Anderson the starter and the Browns started out 3-3 heading into a Week 7 bye. Then, they turned things around.
Anderson and the offense caught fire, as they went 7-3 down the stretch. He finished the year with 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns, while making the Pro Bowl. Veteran running back Jamal Lewis amassed 1,304 yards behind a great offensive line. Wideout Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow each topped 1,000 yards receiving.
Unfortunately for the Browns, they still missed out on the playoffs, as they were unable to win their division — losing a tiebreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to that, Cleveland lost the tiebreaker with the Tennessee Titans for the final AFC Wild Card spot.