From Thomas to McCourty, we rank the Browns’ top 25 players

We have ranked the top 25 players on the Browns roster with a projection of what to expect in 2017 as well as looking back on last season.

Being rated No. 1 on a team that finished 1-15 and is facing another sub-.500 season is not the equivalent of being crowned Miss America, but the honor went to the only player on the team that has had sustained success for a decade — left tackle Joe Thomas.

This should be a year of transition for the Browns, and that is reflected in the rankings. The hope of Executive Vice President Sashi Brown and head coach Hue Jackson is the Browns won’t be picking first in the draft again for a long, long time. They did have the first pick in 2017 and used it on defensive end Myles Garrett.

Thomas is ranked No. 1 because of what he has done in the past and continues to do at a high level. Garrett is ranked No. 2 because of the impact he is expected to make this season and the potential he has for a very bright future.

All three quarterbacks — Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and DeShone Kizer — are among the 25, but not in that order. Which one will be the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season is a mystery. Which will be the starter by the time the season ends in Pittsburgh is an even bigger one.

This special section also contains a game-by-game forecast for the 2017 season. Smack in the middle of the 16-game schedule is the Browns’ first-ever trip to London in the regular season. Nearly 30 years ago, back in 1989, they played the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason game.

I have a distinct memory of that London trip in ’89. Those were pre-Internet days, but we were an afternoon paper at the time. London is five hours ahead of us, so when the Browns were practicing at 10 in the morning there, it was 5 a.m. here. A Browns defensive lineman, Darryl Sims, broke his leg in practice. We were able to get the story in that day’s print editions because of the later deadline.

This should be an intriguing training camp. Hue Jackson obviously knows his players better than a year ago in his first season as head coach of the Browns, but following the tradition of his predecessors with the silver whistle he is searching for a quarterback.

The practice fields in Berea have been reconfigured to accommodate more fans and make it easier for them to move around. A grandstand with a canopy to protect fans from the merciless August sun has been installed.

The highlight of training camp is going to be watching defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Ten of the top 25 Browns players play defense, and only one of them — defensive back Jason McCourty, ranked 25th — ever played for Williams. The Browns can take a step toward respectability if Williams can get the most out of Joe Haden, Danny Shelton, Jamie Collins and the rest.

Enjoy training camp and enjoy this special section. You might learn something about your favorite player you never knew before.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE DeShone Kizer looks to throw as Brock Osweiler (17) and Cody Kessler (6) look on during practice at the Browns training facility in Berea in June.