I remember during my rookie season we were in the meeting room, and someone mentioned Joe Thomas had never missed a snap in eight seasons. That notion blew me away. Then Alex Mack, who was in his sixth season, said he had also not missed a snap. Mitchell Schwartz piped up and added he hadn’t missed a snap in his first two seasons.
And that set the standard for me. You’re an NFL offensive lineman; you come in, you play when you can play, you don’t miss any snaps. So I made that my mindset.
My rookie season, I started every game and played every snap. But after missing some games my second and third years due to injuries, I wondered what was next for me. But then Sashi Brown extended me after my third year, and I told myself, “I’m going to do everything in my power to play.”
And then from that moment on, it was seven full seasons. I always thought if I’m healthy enough to be out there, I’m going to play. And that was the mindset that I had taken from the older guys around me in my early years.
I also played next to J.C. Tretter beginning in 2017, and when he got signed here, he never missed a snap for the Browns. So we were kind of relying on each other – no matter what happens, we’re out there together.
I played 6,481 consecutive offensive plays beginning from the 2017 season and lasting through the 2023 season. 102 consecutive starts. 178 total starts over the course of my career.
Play to play, down to down, I thought, “I have to finish this thing. I started, and I want to be out there for my guys.” And a little bit of it was wanting to set a precedent in case someone was looking up to me. I know what it meant to see Joe Thomas and Alex Mack out there, and hopefully one of these young guys saw me and thought, “That’s how you play the game.”
This season, when I passed Joe for the most starts since 1999, that was a really special moment in my career. I knew how tough he was and what he went through to play all those games. While I wasn’t able to do it all consecutively, I was always out there trying to live up to the standard that he set of toughness, being there for your teammates when maybe no one else was, and showing up every week ready to play regardless of what the scoreboard said.
Before the 2025 season began, I knew if I played a certain number of games, I would surpass Joe. But as the season got underway, it wasn’t on my mind until that week. I took the field in Week 7 against the Dolphins for my 168th start and saw the announcement on the scoreboard celebrating the accomplishment. But the moment it began to sink in was in the locker room following the win.
After the game when Coach Stefanski gave me a game ball and announced that I had the most starts since the team came back in ’99 and was in the top 10 of most starts in Browns’ history, I just thought about all of the players that have played here. Guys like Otto Graham, Jim Brown and all the linemen that came before me… to be in that top 10 group with them made me realize just how incredible it was. In the moment it’s hard, but when you look back on it, it’s pretty dang special.
I worked each day to show up as the same guy and to always be there for my teammates – no matter the circumstances.
Serving as a captain six times fueled that mentality. It’s one of the coolest honors in the NFL to earn the respect of your brothers and for them to say, “We want this guy to represent us out there on the field.” Wearing the “C” on my chest, I wanted to always do what was right and hold up my end of the bargain.
I never took it for granted. Every year when the captains were announced, it was special. I always took a moment to take it all in. I wanted to lead the guys the right way and make them proud of their decision.