After a Tumultuous Start, Winslow’s Finally Reached Stardom
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

In the spring of 2004, the NFL was ready to label Kellen Winslow its next big star. One year, two games, and two major injuries later, the pendulum had swung so far in the other direction that Winslow was about to be labeled the league’s next big bust. Now, in the third year of his career, Winslow is finally getting the chance to show what kind of player he is: the best tight end in the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns had big plans for Winslow when they traded first- and second-round picks to select him with the sixth pick of the 2004 draft. The league had big plans for him, too. Before he ever stepped on the field, Winslow was already appearing in NFL commercials, and his jersey was one of the most profitable items in the NFL’s lucrative merchandising department. Winslow seemed preordained to follow his father, also a tight end named Kellen, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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