Following a disappointing and winless 2017, the Cleveland Browns reshaped the roster through all stages of the offseason. A notable part of that effort was through the draft with a group of promising talent that the team hopes can make an immediate impact this upcoming season.
Among those is former Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, who the Browns snagged with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft. According to Patrick Maks of the official Cleveland Browns website, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has voiced that his teammates are already pushing for him to be on the field.
That, Williams said, is the key to working your way up the depth chart. It’s how Garrett made his way up to the first-team defense at this time last year and how Ward, the former Ohio State star, earned his keep. “When a veteran comes to me and says, ‘Hey coach, we’re better when Denzel is out there,’” Williams said. “‘So really? Now you’re taking ownership of him? Oh really? Now you’re mentoring him? We’ll see. I will give him a couple of reps out there, and we will see.’
The 21-year-old has quickly made a tremendous impression on his teammates with his play on the practice field. Ward was widely regarded as being the best coverage cornerback in this year's draft class. It is an area that the Browns have made a strong effort to beef up their secondary with proven veterans, but the Ohio State product has stood out among the group.
This is quite an encouraging sign for the Browns, who had received some criticism for the choice of Ward over standout NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb at the selection. Once Cleveland was on the board at the fourth overall pick, that had been the assumption as the team could have paired him with second-year defensive end Myles Garrett.
Ward has an opportunity to make a strong case to move up the depth chart in training camp next month and the preseason following that. Nonetheless, it looks like he is off to a promising start this offseason before his NFL career even officially begins.
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