The Browns finished the 1948 season with a perfect record and defeated the Buffalo Bills to win the AAFC championship for the third time in a row. Head coach Paul Brown made several adjustments before the 1949 season, including bringing in halfback Les Horvath, a former Los Angeles Rams player who had won the Heisman Trophy in 1944. He also signed tackle Derrell Palmer and linebacker Tommy Thompson. Palmer, who came in a trade with the New York Yankees and Thompson, a rookie who had played at the College of William & Mary, helped solidify the team's defense for the next five seasons. Defensive back Warren Lahr, who had been signed in 1948 but sat out the season with a broken leg, saw his first play in 1949 and became a star in the defensive secondary for 11 years.