Everyone loves a good training camp story, none more so than fans of the Cleveland Browns.
Every summer, it seems, there is a little-known player who stands out, usually during the final preseason game, by racking up big stats against an opposing lineup of players who will soon be unemployed.
Players like running back Matt Dayes (77 yards on just 8 carries and a rushing touchdown in 2018), or tight end Devon Cajuste, who won over fans that same season as the Browns were featured on Hard Knocks.
Sometimes,
however, that feel-good story turns out to be an actual NFL player, as in the case of Josh Cribbs.
An undrafted free agent out of Kent State in 2005, Cribbs made the coaching staff pay attention by showing his return skills during the preseason. He made the roster that year, and over the course of eight seasons with the Browns, etched his name in the franchise’s record book.
That is why he was likely one of the easiest choices for ESPN’s list of unheralded players who made the most of their opportunity during training camp and the preseason:
Cribbs joined the Browns in 2005 as an undrafted rookie after a standout career as a quarterback at Kent State. Cleveland moved the dynamic athlete to wide receiver and returner — the latter of which Cribbs had no experience in.
Cribbs adjusted quickly to his new positions and earned his way onto the Browns’ active roster after a handful of big returns in the preseason. He went on to set a franchise record with 1,094 return yards as a rookie, earned a six-year extension, and played 10 years in the NFL as one of the most dangerous return specialists in league history.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Cribbs had three kick return touchdowns in 2007 and 2009. He holds 11 franchise records, according to the team’s website, and had 11 kick returns for touchdowns with the Browns (eight on punts and three on kickoffs), 10,015 kickoff return yards (tops in franchise history and 6,830 yards ahead of second-place Dino Hall), and 2,154 punt return yards (tops in franchise history).
He is the team’s all-time leader in combined kickoff and punt return yards (12,169), all-purpose yards (14,065), most kickoff return yards in a single season (1,809 in 2007), most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season (three in 2009), and most all-purpose yards in a single season (2,510 in 2009).
Cribbs earned Pro Bowl nods in 2007, 2009, and 2012; was a First Team All-Pro selection in 2009; was chosen to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s; and is a member of both the franchise’s Legends Program and the Kent State Sports Hall of Fame.
He retired after the 2014 NFL season with the third-most return yards in league history (13,488), third-most kickoff return yards (11,113), and the fifth-most return touchdowns (11).
Cleveland plays its three preseason games in just 12 days, starting August 15 against the Chicago Bears and ending on August 27 against the New England Patriots. During that time, someone will give a performance that catches everyone’s attention.
With any luck, whoever that is could find himself earning a roster spot and start his journey to being the next Josh Cribbs.
