The good news for Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward is that he should be fine after suffering a back injury in their preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But the bad news is that he’s going to get a lot more stick from defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Williams ripped the Browns rookie’s tackling technique, which Williams believes was the reason why Ward got hurt.

“Maybe he’ll finally listen to me and stop doing those stupid things the way he’s trying to tackle and tackle the way I tell him to tackle and he won’t get hurt,” Williams said.

Ward suffered the injury when his torso twisted as he attempted to tackle Eagles tight end Zach Ertz by wrapping up his legs. Williams believes that because of the size disparity between the two, Ward should’ve elected to cut Ertz instead of attempting to wrap him up.

The Browns DC believes this painful experience will make the rookie take his worlds a little more seriously.

“I think this was a good enough shock that maybe he thinks that I might know what I'm talking about,” said Williams.

Ward, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, is expected to play a major role on the Browns defense this season. He’s set to start right away and will be asked to be a key member of a completely retooled cornerback group.

Given his importance on the team, Ward will have to stay on the field. That means heeding Williams’ words and cleaning up his technique to avoid a repeat of his recent back injury.