2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class: Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis and DeMarcus Ware are elected

Joe Thomas gave fans of the new version of the Cleveland Browns something to finally celebrate.

The six-time All-Pro offensive lineman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first attempt, joining fellow inductee and rookie Darrelle Revis.

Thomas became the first Browns Hall of Famer of the team’s ignominious expansion era.

“It’s really special to me because the franchise has been through some very difficult times,” Thomas said.

“But those fans are so loyal and passionate, and they still show up and it’s still their identity that they’re Browns fans. It’s great for the whole Browns’ Nation.

Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have had two playoff berths, one playoff win, and the worst record in the league, including an 0-16 season in Thomas’ final year in the NFL.

Thomas and Revis join a new class of Hall of Famers announced Thursday that also includes finalists DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas and Ronde Barber.

Senior candidates Joe Klecko, Chuck Howley and Ken Riley, along with coaching candidate Don Coryell were also elected to the Hall and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.

“I didn’t set out to be a Hall of Famer,” Barber said. ‘I was trying to make the team. I was trying to get into the field.

All you can do is seize your opportunity and run with it. And we all take our chances and take advantage of them.’

Headlining the class are Joe Thomas and Revis, the two first-round picks in the 2007 draft who took very different paths to this top honor.

Revis jumped between teams looking for his best chances to win and prosper financially, while Thomas never budged.

Picked third overall by Cleveland, Thomas stepped in as the immediate starter and never moved until a torn triceps ended his final season in 2017.

Thomas played 10,363 consecutive snaps before that injury as one of the only dependable parties in one of the NFL’s bleakest franchises.

Thomas was a Pro Bowl player in all 10 healthy seasons, a first-team All-Pro six times, and a second-team selection another two years. But he didn’t even make the playoffs once with the Browns.

Revis was always on the move, whether it was following the best receivers from one side of the field to the other like the best cornerback of his era.

Revis’ best streak came in New York with the Jets, where he was a first-team All-Pro from 2009 to 2011 and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2009 when he repeatedly shut out top receivers by sending them to ‘ Revis Island.

“I was probably the most nervous out of everyone on the field,” Revis said. “You look in the mirror and say to yourself: ‘It’s him or me.’ I had to rise to the challenge. I took it upon myself to take on that task and shut them down.

Revis spent a year in New England, helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl in the 2014 season, and also played for Tampa Bay and Kansas City, plus a second season with the Jets.

Ware, Barber and Zach Thomas had to wait longer before being voted out of the Hall. Ware was also a finalist last year, while Barber entered for the third time at this stage and Thomas on his fourth attempt.

Ware was a four-time All-Pro in Dallas and then helped Denver win a Super Bowl in the 2015 season. He led the NFL in sacks twice and finished with 138 1/2 career sacks.

Barber was a key player in Tampa-2’s defensive scheme as a cornerback for the Buccaneers. He was a three-time All-Pro, led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2001 and won a Super Bowl the following season.

Zach Thomas was a five-time All-Pro and spent 12 of his 13 seasons with Miami before ending a year in Dallas. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996, had at least 100 tackles in his first 11 seasons.

Coryell didn’t have team success comparable to other coaches to get voted into the Hall, winning 111 regular-season games for the Cardinals and Chargers and never reaching a Super Bowl.

But his impact on the game with his famous ‘Air Coryell’ offense in San Diego was far-reaching as he took advantage of the rule changes that opened up the passing game in the late 1970s and put together an offense that still influences the game today.

Howley was a five-time All-Pro in 15 seasons with Chicago and Dallas and his biggest claim was being the only player from a losing team chosen as Super Bowl MVP.

Howley won MVP after intercepting two passes in Super Bowl V as Dallas lost to Baltimore 16-13. He ended up on the winning side the following season when he made two home kicks in a 24-3 win over Miami.

Klecko was a mainstay in the Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange,” earning Pro Bowl honors at nose tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end in a 12-year career that ended with a season with the Indianapolis Colts.

Klecko was a two-time All-Pro, including in 1981 when he unofficially led the NFL with 20 1/2 sacks and finished second to Lawrence Taylor in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Riley’s 65 career interceptions in 15 seasons with Cincinnati rank fifth-most in NFL history and second only to Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane’s 68 for players who were exclusively cornerbacks.

The Hall of Fame snubs were first-time nominee and former Colts DE Dwight Freeney and former Bears wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester.

Freeney left the game with a Super Bowl ring, having played in two other Super Bowls, seven Pro Bowl selections, and three first-team All-Pro selections. His 125½ sacks are tied for 17th in league history and his 47 forced fumbles rank fifth all-time.

Hester retired without a Super Bowl title to his name, but he had many memorable moments, including taking the opening kickoff in Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown.

He holds the NFL records for most special teams return touchdowns combined, most non-offensive touchdowns, and most kickoff and punt return touchdowns in a career.