Urgency to win never greater for Ward as cornerback prepares for 7th season
BEREA — Denzel Ward was two days away from his 21st birthday when the Browns made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback celebrated his 27th birthday April 28 of this year.
For Ward, those two statements are both hard to fathom and completely understandable all at once.
“I don’t feel old personally,” Ward said during Browns minicamp this month. “It is crazy though. That’s why I be telling them all the time, time be flying, man.”
At the time the former Nordonia High School and Ohio State University product was taken, there were some Browns fans disappointed in the selection because they had their eyes set on Bradley Chubb, the star edge rusher coming out of North Carolina State. The reason the pick of Ward, in the moment, made sense was because of Myles Garrett, whom the Browns had taken No. 1 overall the previous year.
Garrett, entering his eighth NFL season, is coming off his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year season. Ward, meanwhile, is fresh off his third Pro Bowl season.
As draft day passes even farther away by the day, Ward can’t help but acknowledge the time that has gone by for him and Garrett.
“He just said, feel like I’ve been here for a long time,” Ward said. “I have though. So going on Year 7, I believe it is, but just growing with Myles and growing out there with the Browns organization, it has been fun and just looking to keep it going and keep building and achieving our goals.”
Ward has been a part of what is inarguably the most consistent run of competent play by the Browns since they returned to the league as an expansion franchise in 1999. He’s been part of two playoff teams in the last four seasons, and was on two other teams — his rookie year in 2018 and in 2021 — that were legitimate playoff contenders into the final two weeks of the regular season.
What Ward has yet to experience, or any of the Browns players in that stretch, is a chance to win a Super Bowl. Or even a chance to play to go to the Super Bowl.
The Browns reached the AFC divisional round after the 2020 season, but fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs. They were run off the field in January when they played the Houston Texans in a wild card game.
So Ward saw his 27th birthday come and go in April without having been on the biggest stage in the sport. And with each birthday that passes without that chance, the number of opportunities only lessen thanks to Father Time.
“I mean, it’s always urgency,” Ward said. “You want to win every time you step out there on the field. So, I mean, that’s the goal. You want to win the day, win a practice and win every moment that you’re in. So it’s always urgent to get a win.”
If Ward’s seventh season in the league turns out to be the year that happens, there’s a good chance he’ll have a say in why the Browns turned out to be as good as they did. That was the case a year ago, when he played at a Pro Bowl level on a defense that ended the regular season No. 1 in total yards allowed, passing yards allowed, points allowed and third-down conversion rate.
Although Ward did miss four games — one of them was the regular-season finale in Cincinnati, where a large percentage of starters did not play — he may have had his best all-around season when he was on the field. Over 13 regular-season games, he intercepted two passes and forced a fumble, while being credited with 11 passes defensed.
Meanwhile, Ward’s advanced numbers were very good as well. Opposing quarterbacks completed 48.5% of their passes against Ward (32 of 66) while posting a 56.2 passer rating, which was the lowest of his career. Of the 32 passes completed against Ward, only one went for a touchdown.
“He comes in early, he stays late, he’s studious, he embodies everything about our team mantra ... and he’s certainly everything about our defense,” cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch said. “He’s a tough guy, he gives great effort, and he plays with passion. So, to see the consistency behind that has really been great.”