Former Browns outside linebacker Clay Matthews is getting another chance to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Matthews, who played his first 16 NFL seasons (1978-93) with the club before finishing his career with three years with the Atlanta Falcons, is one of 54 semifinalists for the Hall. He is a seniors candidate for the first time.

As with his trip to the finals as a regular candidate in 2021, Matthews definitely deserves to be enshrined.

But every candidate – or almost every candidate — is going to get that kind of endorsement in the city in which he played.  In the case of Matthews, though, it’s oh, so true.

Matthews was not only great, but he was so for an extraordinarily long time. He played at a high level from the moment he arrived with the Browns as being the first of their two first-round picks in the 1978 NFL Draft. He was taken at No. 12 overall out of USC, while tight end Ozzie Newsome, who was elected to the HOF in 1999, was picked nine spots later, at No. 23.

In the era of specialization in the NFL, where players are trotted on and off the field according to the down and distance, Matthews, a four-time Pro Bowler, was an anomaly in that he never had to exit. He could play all three downs in any situation on the field in that he was outstanding as a pass rusher, against the run and in pass coverage. Indeed, he could do it all and as such was very roster-friendly. Every year, another player could be kept on the roster because of his versatility.

Now he deserves a spot on the game’s all-time roster.

STEVE KING