Myles Garrett may have moved on, but he will never mean as much to the Cleveland Browns as Joe Thomas.
A stellar career with the team means Thomas is revered as one of the best to ever pull on a Browns uniform – and new head coach Todd Monken is understandably keen to tap into that.
Thomas has been offered a role on the Browns coaching staff, per Mary-Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com but the iconic lineman refused to commit to anything long term.
“When I was interviewing for the job, and then when I got the job, I had reached out to Joe,” said Monken.
“Joe obviously played for [OL coach George Warhop] as well and I said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a spot for you if you want to help us coach.’
“He said, ‘I love to coach.’ He said, ‘I don’t think I want to commit to an everyday contract.’
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“So I said, ‘Well, that’s fine. Anytime you want to come out here and help our guys, you’re more than welcome.’ And we certainly would welcome that.”
What is Joe Thomas doing now?
Thomas’ focus in his post playing career has been in the media, and he has been a regular on the NFL Media circuit, most notably on Thursday Night Football coverage.
It remains to be seen how much ESPN’s buyout of NFL Media affects Thomas’ role going into the new season.
He has been a regular in the build-up and post-game of NFL Network’s TNF coverage, and a significant shake up of broadcast staff has been a big storyline through the summer.
Thomas also works for radio stadium Westwood One and is a regular for Browns in-house media, which this week included a chat with one of his biggest fans.
And that person just so happens to be Cleveland’s first round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, Spencer Fano, who the team have high hopes for being a long-term answer on the offensive line.
Thomas has also been speaking on the Dan Patrick Show about what the Browns can expect for the season ahead.
Garrett’s trade to the Los Angeles Rams might have strengthened an already fearsome unit in the NFC but the arrival of Jared Verse as part of the deal is a huge boost for the Browns.
With the added bonus of the draft picks as part of the deal, Thomas believes the Browns
“I think the trade is going to turn out to be one that the Browns look back on favorably,” Thomas told Patrick.
“It’s painful when you lose the best defensive player in history, but I think when you look at the age that he’s at, where the Browns are specifically, this is a rebuild.
“You got a new quarterback. You got a new coach. You got a couple first-round draft choices next year to potentially find a quarterback if you don’t think one of these two guys can be the guy of the future.
“And you get Jared Verse, who has been wrecking training camp so far, who’s a young player. I think it was the right trade for the right time for the Browns.”
Cleveland ramp up training camp with a joint practice alongside the Buffalo Bills later in August, while preseason games include the Bills and New England Patriots but start with the Chicago Bears on August 15.
Monken and general manager Andrew Berry will then look to finalise their roster in line with the new August 30 deadline ahead of the Week 1 trip to Jacksonville.
