Earnest Byner

Running Back

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Earnest Byner was an after-thought in the 1984 draft, being a 10th-round choice from East Carolina. The Browns were looking for a running back after the Mike Pruitt era had ended, but it didn't seem likely he'd be able to fill the void in any way -- and certainly not in the way he did. Proving all his doubters wrong, Byner came on strong in the latter portion of his rookie season then really established himself in 1985. He gained 1,002 yards that year - one of three 1,000-yard seasons he would have - and with Kevin Mack (1,104) became just the third duo from the same team to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season in NFL history. Injuries plagued Byner during the 1986 and '87 seasons, causing him to miss 13 games. As the Browns morphed from a running team into one that depended on the pass, he became a valuable target out of the backfield, catching a combined total of 111 passes in 1987 and '88. Byner returned to the Browns in 1994 as a free agent and served an important backup and leadership role as the club got back to the playoffs for the first time in five years. In his seven Browns seasons, he finished as the sixth-leading career rusher with 3,368 and seventh in touchdowns with 37. He is fifth in rushing TDs with 27 and sixth in carries with 862. He is also 10th on the club's all-time receptions list with 276. In addition, he retired as the NFL's No. 16 rusher with 8,261 yards.