While the Cleveland Browns had added a lot of talent to their secondary this offseason, Denzel Ward is still their top defensive back. John Johnson III, Troy Hill and Greg Newsome were added while Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit return from injury to the secondary, giving a big boost around Ward and the other returning starter, Ronnie Harrison.
You could also add Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Tony Fields II to that group as both have played well as slot, or hang, defenders at the college level.
It is Ward that is necessary to put the Browns secondary at an elite level. His ability to cover outside, despite not fitting the large cornerback description, is impressive. The Ohio State product has also been able to excel despite consistent shifts in defensive schemes starting out under Greg Williams, moving on to Steve Wilks and now with Joe Woods.
Our colleague at Touchdown Wire, Mark Schofield, has Ward ranked as the eighth-best outside corner in his list of top 11 in the league:
But Denzel Ward might be the biggest piece of that unit. Since entering the league in 2018 Ward has been a standout coverage corner, and last season was another impressive year. While he did allow six touchdowns when targeted, Ward also notched a pair of interceptions, ten pass breakups and one of the better tackles you’ll see a CB make:
Still not quite over Denzel Ward actually sliding under a block to make a tackle last season 😳 @denzelward @Browns pic.twitter.com/cfJtLz6Urd
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 25, 2021
For the Browns to reach their goals, Ward has to be as good or better than he was in 2020. With the additional talent on the roster, including a revamped defensive line to go along with the secondary, Ward should be in a position to do just that and maybe rise up Schofield’s list.
