Denzel Ward was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. It was a move that some fans were not happy about, but the franchise has been very pleased with their decision.

Cleveland knew that they needed to bring in more secondary help for their defense. Myles Garrett is one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL, but they did not have a young secondary capable of developing into a lethal unit. Ward gives them a legitimate shutdown cornerback for the future.

Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Browns saw Ward go down with a hip injury and were forced to take him out of the game. There has been concern about his status for Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, but he appears to be recovering quickly.

According to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Ward was back at practice with the Browns today and is planning to play this week against Atlanta.

Cornerback Denzel Ward left the game against Kansas City with a hip injury and the first-round pick did not take part in the team’s first practice ahead of this Sunday’s game against the Falcons. According to multiple reports from Cleveland, Ward was back on the field Thursday and that is likely a positive sign for his chances of helping the effort to slow down the Atlanta offense this weekend.

Ward has been extremely solid in his first nine career games in Cleveland. He has racked up 40 tackles to go along with a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and nine defended passes.

At 21 years old, Ward is already showing the superstar potential that made the Browns take him at No. 4.

It will be interesting to see how Ward fares this week against a high-powered Falcons' offense. Matt Ryan has been having a big season and Julio Jones has been nearly unstoppable. If Ward is asked to defend Jones, we will get a great idea of just how good he is right now.

Expect to see Ward play this week and don't be surprised if he's thrown right into the action against one of the best receivers in recent NFL history.