It was a question that was asked about the Cleveland Browns traded away the face of their franchise, Myles Garrett. Who is next? For obvious reasons, that question pointed towards two sets of athletes: The highest paid and the oldest.
One player fit both categories: CB Denzel Ward.
Ward came out recently about the fact that since Garrett is gone, he may be the next in line. At his inaugural celebrity softball game held at Classic Auto Group Park in nearby Eastlake, Ohio,
which is the home ballpark of the High-A Lake County Captains, a farm team of the Cleveland Guardians.
The event took place on Saturday, June 6, and included a home run derby with the softball game at 3:00 pm. Other activities included an online auction, opportunities to become a game bat boy/girl, be able to participate in the home run derby, throw out the first pitch, plus a meet-and-greet with Ward.
At this event, Ward was obviously asked about the Garrett trade, because after all, it occurred less than a week ago:
Ward just turned 29 years old this spring and is entering his ninth NFL season. He has had his fair share of injuries and ailments during his time in Cleveland.
But through the issues and pain, he has been an elite talent, as evidenced by his five Pro Bowls, his selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team, and his high annual Pro Football Focus grades.
As far as being the next seasoned veteran to leave the Browns, Ward doesn’t plan on it:
“I want to be here. I’m just grateful wherever I’m at. Wherever opportunity I get to go play football, that’s what I do. I love playing for the Cleveland Browns. I definitely still want to be here.”
The game filled in for what used to be David Njoku’s annual softball game. This year’s contest featured former Browns Kareem Hunt, Mack Wilson, and Greg Newsome, Chicago Bears WR Jahdae Walker, Jerry Jeudy, baseball player Reggie Bussey, Chris Edmonds, KC Concepcion, Alex Wright, Adin Huntington, Taylen Green, and Mike Hall, Jr., to name a few. The winner of the home run derby was a spectator, Aaron Krieger.
Ward came to the Browns as the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, just three selections behind QB Baker Mayfield. The Ohio State athlete instantly transformed the defensive backfield with his 4.32 speed.
As Ward’s rookie deal was coming to a close, GM Andrew Berry signed Ward to a five–year, $100.5 million contract, which included $71.25 million guaranteed. $44.5 million was guaranteed upon signing, plus the contract included a $20 million signing bonus. At the time, the agreement made Ward the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
And now, Ward will jump from a base salary of $1.26 million with a cap hit of $14.79 million in 2025 to a base of $16.9 million and a cap hit of $30.89 million this year. He has one more year remaining, but no guaranteed salary remaining because in March he restructured the deal.
With those types of numbers, the whispers began about Berry perhaps shipping Ward off next despite not drafting a cornerback in this year’s NFL draft. Berry put an end to any speculation about Ward leaving Cleveland:
“He’s still playing at a really high level. That doesn’t change with the (Garrett trade).”
The defensive backfield has always been Berry’s pet project on the Browns. Berry was a college cornerback himself, playing in the defensive backfield for Harvard. So, he has made sure that every year, the defensive backfield has enough talent.
He drafted CB M.J. Emerson, and then, when he sustained his Achilles injury, he shipped off CB Greg Newsome for CB Tyson Campbell and selected Myles Harden for the nickelback spot. Berry inherited S Grant Delpit, but signed two crafty undrafted safeties in Ronnie Hickman and Donovan McMillon, and then drafted FS Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in this year’s draft.
Berry knows Ward’s value to the back end of the defense and the huge void losing him would create. Five Pro Bowls are a pretty good indicator of his talent. In fact, Ward is expected to expand his role now that the leader of the defense is no longer on the roster.
Berry added:
“[Ward is] a big part of the team, and we like him a lot.”
Being good friends, Ward admitted that he knew about the trade before it was announced. Ward was drafted just one year behind Garrett. When asked, does he feel the kind of things that Garrett was very vocal about, such as Cleveland never even sniffing a Super Bowl?
As Ward stated:
“I think the biggest thing is guys just want to win. We can win in Cleveland. We just made the playoffs the year before, and we just have to solidify a lot. Like the quarterback position. We’ve had a lot of guys rotating in and out. It’s hard to win in the NFL like that. But it’s going to be a lot harder to win with Myles gone.”
Despite what he has said, similar to with Garrett, is Berry still open to trading Ward? The Browns cornerback has made his position known.
