The Cleveland Browns made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason back in March, acquiring wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in a trade with the New York Giants.
One player who is particularly thrilled about the move is second-year cornerback Denzel Ward, who went toe-to-toe with Beckham in mandatory minicamp this past week and is looking forward to more battles with him throughout practice this season:
“It was exciting,” Ward said, according to Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal. “I love going against Odell, someone who’s going to compete, and he’s going to get me ready for the games.”
Ward, who made the Pro Bowl during his rookie campaign, added that he thinks going up against a receiver like Beckham and Jarvis Landry regularly will help take his game to new heights:
“We have a lot of conversations,” said Ward. “I told him he’s going to be one of the reasons my game goes to the next level. I definitely enjoy [the competition], and [I’m] looking forward to going against him more and Jarvis [Landry] and a lot of those receivers.”
The 22-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was originally selected by the Browns with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. He then went on to tally 53 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended during his first NFL season.
The Browns went 7-8-1 this past year, marking their best finish since winning 10 games all the way back in 2007. Now, Cleveland is aiming to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign.
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