As of April 17th, 2024, the Cleveland Browns have returned their helmet design to the original gloss finish with a white facemask, a style the Browns used from the inception of non-leather helmets to 2005. But what could have been? Throughout the history of the Cleveland Browns franchise, the team has internally tinkered with changing the design of a helmet that has remained logoless. I would like to explore what could have been to coincide with the excitement of the helmet update, which I, for one, think is a fantastic update.

The Browns had two designs that, if history had gone in a different direction, could have ended up being part of the Browns’ branding to this day.

BROWNIE THE ELF, 1950’S:

When Paul Brown was acting as GM and Coach of the Cleveland Browns franchise, trainer of the Browns Leo Murphy, at the time, came up with a few helmet designs. All professional sports teams were starting to lean into branding during this time, leading to many NFL teams adding logos to their helmets. Brownie, named after the Brownie Elves who cleaned homes in old folklore and fitting the Browns team name, was placed in mock-ups of what Browns’ helmets could look like with branding, as seen above. Paul Brown did not like Leo Murphy nor the Browns to have a logo on the helmet, so the idea was scrapped. However, when Art Modell, the infamous owner who moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, purchased the Browns in 1961, he was adamant that Brownie be used less as he was not a fan of the logo. When Paul Brown got fired from the Browns, the team followed a new idea.

THE “CB” LOGO, 1965:

This helmet was the closest the Browns ever got to having a logo on their helmet. After winning the NFL championship in 1964, the NFL requested that the Browns place branding on their helmets to help further promote the Cleveland Browns franchise and the NFL. Owner Art Modell commissioned a “CB” logo to be created so that the Browns could have this logo placed on the Browns helmet to fulfill the NFL’s request. Products were sent out, and some marketing even featured the logo on the helmet. However, as the 1965 preseason arrived, the helmet looked the same, the plain helmet the Browns had been wearing to that point. The Browns never wore this helmet on the field, and ultimately this “CB” logo idea got scrapped, never to see the light of day.

THROWBACKS THAT SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY, 2000’S:

Following the 50s and 60s, the closest we have gotten to a different helmet from the Browns are throwbacks to the past. As shown above, the Browns have worn a player number helmet with a white stripe, used by the franchise initially from 1957 to 1960, and then brought back for the 2006-2008 seasons as well as the 2021 season. Lastly, in the 2023 season, the Browns unveiled a white throwback helmet which alludes to the first helmet in Browns history, a leather white helmet worn from 1946 to 1949. Both helmets added a welcomed, new layer of branding while still sticking with the historic identity the Cleveland Browns have.

This brief dive into the history of the Cleveland Browns helmets shows what could have been for the Browns in terms of branding and design. However, I, for one, am happy the Browns have stuck with the plain, stripped helmet that now stands as the logo for the franchise, as it is a part of what makes the Cleveland Browns the Cleveland Browns.