Sometimes the simplest look in the NFL gets treated like it’s a problem, and the Browns are taking that hit again.
In a recent all-32 uniform ranking from Sports Illustrated writer Mike Kadlick, Cleveland landed at No. 27.
His issue, as he put it, is the Browns’ color palette. Kadlick said, “you can only shoot so high up the list while having brown and orange as your primary colors.”
That’s a rough verdict for a team whose classic look has long been a point of pride for its fans. Kadlick did note that Cleveland’s return to its classic roots helped its case, but he also said the Browns would probably be dead last if they still wore the “cutting-edge” uniforms from 2015 to ’20. In his view, the old look only rescued them so much.
The ranking gets even stranger when you look at where other teams landed. Kadlick placed the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in the top five, with the Bengals at No. 4 and the Ravens at No.
- The Los Angeles Chargers took the No. 1 spot.
He also put the Dallas Cowboys at No. 3, pointing to the iconic nature of their uniforms as part of the appeal.
That’s where the Browns’ supporters will likely bristle. Cleveland’s uniform identity is tied to Paul Brown, the legendary coach who founded the franchise in 1946.
Brown had already built a huge reputation in Ohio, winning several high school titles with the Massillon Tigers and leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the first national championship in school history in 1942. His Massillon teams wore orange uniforms, and when he was choosing colors for his NFL team, he reportedly settled on Bowling Green’s seal brown and bright orange combination.
So while the Browns’ look may not be flashy, it is rooted in the franchise’s origins. And that classic setup remains easy to spot: Cleveland is the only NFL team without a logo on its helmet, just a plain orange shell.
Kadlick’s ranking leaves the Browns near the bottom of the AFC North, and it’s fair to say plenty of fans won’t agree with that placement.
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