Cleveland Browns in the Hall of Fame: From the Browns (Jim and Paul) to Bill Willis

Joe Thomas received the call everyone was expecting him to get on Thursday night. The Browns offensive tackle will be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2023.

The next thing Thomas will have to wait for is Aug. 5. That's the date of the Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

When Thomas and the rest of the Class of 2023 are enshrined, they will join an exclusive club that has just 362 members before this class arrives. However, the tackle will join an even more exclusive club than that when you count just the number of players who played a significant portion of their careers for the Browns .

More on Hall of Famer Joe Thomas:Browns icon Joe Thomas is first-ballot Hall of Famer. How shot put, swimming aided journey

It's time to look back at the other Browns players who have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

How many Cleveland Browns players were in the Hall of Fame before Joe Thomas?

There have been 17 Browns players enshrined in the Hall before the Class of 2023. That number was tied with the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders for the eighth-most of any franchise in the league's history. The Chicago Bears had the most, with 30, while the Green Bay Packers (26) and Pittsburgh Steelers (24) round out the top three.

Who are the Cleveland Browns' previous 17 Hall of Famers?

• Jim Brown, RB

• Paul Brown, head coach

• Joe DeLamielleure, OL

• Len Ford, DE

• Frank Gatski, OL

• Otto Graham, QB

• Lou Groza OL/K

• Gene Hickerson, OL

• Leroy Kelly, RB

• Dante Lavelli, WR

• Mike McCormack, OL

• Bobby Mitchell, WR/HB

• Marion Motley, FB

• Ozzie Newsome, TE

• Mac Speedie, WR

• Paul Warfield, WR

• Bill Willis, DL

How many Hall of Famers played for the Cleveland Browns but aren't considered part of that group?

Five. Doug Adkins was a defensive lineman who was drafted by the Browns in 1953 before being traded after the 1954 season to the Bears, where he played 12 seasons before ending up in New Orleans. Willie Davis was drafted by the Browns in 1956, but didn't play for them until 1958 due to an Army commitment. Still, he was traded before the 1960 season to the Packers, where he developed over 10 seasons into a Hall of Fame defensive lineman. Len Dawson famously played nine combined games for the Browns in the 1960 and 1961 before the quarterback ended up with the AFL's Dallas Texans, who eventually became the Kansas City Chiefs. Henry Jordan, like Davis, was drafted the Browns — in 1957 — before being traded to the Packers, for whom he became another Hall of Fame defensive lineman. Tommy McDonald was the opposite of the other four in that he was already a Hall of Fame-caliber player after 11 seasons, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles, when he ended his career with his one and only season in Cleveland in 1968.

Who was the most recent Cleveland Browns player to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame?

Before Joe Thomas? That would be Mac Speedie, who was part of the Class of 2020. The receiver was a member of the original Browns team in 1946 and played with them through the 1952 season. In 86 games, Speedie caught 349 passes for 5,602 yards with 33 touchdowns.

Mac Speedie:Browns great clears Hall hurdle, runs in for overdue induction

Who was the first Cleveland Browns player to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame?

Otto Graham, a member of the Hall of Fame's Class of 1965. He quarterbacked the Browns to four All-American Football League championships and then another three NFL titles once they merged into the league. Graham led the Browns to the championship game in all 10 of his seasons, and he was the first-team all-league quarterback in nine of those years.

Has there ever been a Hall of Fame class with multiple Cleveland Browns players?

The Class of 1983 had two Browns players. One was receiver Paul Warfield, who spent the first six (1964-69) and final two (1976-77) seasons of his 13-year NFL career in Cleveland. The other was receiver/running back Bobby Mitchell, who spent the first four seasons (1958-61) with the Browns before being dealt to Washington, where he played the remainder of his career.

What Cleveland Browns Hall of Famers were part of the original AAFL championship teams?

The Browns' time in the AAFL went from 1946-49. During that time, they had seven players who eventually were inducted into the Hall of Fame: Graham, Speedie, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Frank Gatski, Marion Motley and Bill Willis. Head coach Paul Brown was also enshrined in 1967.

What Hall of Famers were on NFL championship teams with the Cleveland Browns?

The Browns won four NFL championship, pre-Super Bowl era: 1950, 1954, 1955 and 1964. Paul Brown coached three of the four title teams, in 1950, 1954 and 1955. Groza, Lavelli, Gatski, Graham and Len Ford were part of all three 1950s title teams. Wills, Speedie and Motley won titles in 1950. Mike McCormack was on the back-to-back title teams in 1954 and 1955. Members of the 1964 title team who went on to the Hall of Fame were Jim Brown, Gene Hickerson, Leroy Kelly and Warfield. Adkins was part of the 1954 title team in Cleveland before being traded to Chicago. One other Hall of Famer won two titles as a player for the Browns was Chuck Noll, who was on the 1954 and 1955 teams. Noll, obviously, was enshrined as a coach after winning four Super Bowls in Pittsburgh.

What Cleveland Browns Hall of Famers played in the Super Bowl era?

The first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, so that brings in a number of players: Kelly, Warfield, Hickerson and, yes, Groza. However, if you're talking about players who spent their entire career playing in the Super Bowl era, it's only two: guard Joe DeLamielleure (1980-84) and tight end Ozzie Newsome (1978-90).

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: The Browns now have 18 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame