D’Qwell Jackson, Bill Nelsen to join Browns Legends in 2021

Team will add Jackson and Nelsen, along with last year’s class, during Week 3 game this fall.

The Cleveland Browns will honor former players D’Qwell Jackson and Bill Nelsen by inducting them into the team’s Legends program this fall.

Jackson and Nelsen will be inducted during the Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears at FirstEnergy Stadium. They will be jointed by 2020 Legends Josh Cribbs and Webster Slaughter, who were not honored last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A second-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Maryland, Jackson played linebacker for the Browns from 2006 to 2013, making 96 starts. He led the NFL in tackles with 154 in 2008 and posted a career-high 158 tackles in 2011.

A shoulder injury six games into the 2009 season kept Jackson off the field until 2011, but he returned to play three more seasons – never missing a start – for the Browns. Jackson closed out his NFL career by playing three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and making his lone trip to the Pro Bowl.

His time in Cleveland left a lasting mark on Jackson, he told the team’s website:

“Even during my time in Indy, I would say the best fans in the league are with the Cleveland Browns. You just feel that energy, from the moment I was drafted until the moment I left.

“I know now I’m not wearing the helmet, I’m not playing for the organization but I’m still a Brown and will always be a Brown. If they’re winning, I’m winning. If they’re losing, I’m losing and feeling it. I’m just excited to be a part of it and it makes it all that sweeter.”

Set Number: X14615

Nelsen, who passed away in 2019, led the Browns to the playoffs four times and to the NFL title game in both 1968 and 1969. A four-year starter for the Browns, Nelsen is seventh on the franchise’s all-time list in career passing yards (9,725), sixth in career touchdown passes (71), eighth in pass attempts (1,314) and seventh in completions (689),

The Browns started the Legends Program in 2001, with the first class being made up of the team’s Pro Football Hall of Fame members plus five additional inductees. To be considered for induction, a player must have been a member of the Browns for at least five seasons, been a major contributor at their position and been retired for a minimum of five years.