Browns' Denzel Ward receives strong praise from NFL amid top-10 ESPN CB rankings
Browns’ Denzel Ward receives strong praise from NFL amid top-10 ESPN CB rankings originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Cleveland Browns might not have a realistic chance at a playoff run this season, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some high-quality individuals littered throughout the roster.
One of the more notable players still on the roster following the stunning Myles Garrett trade is cornerback Denzel Ward. He’s still a Brown, at least for now, but as a 29-year-old veteran who’s not played a full season, his trade value might not be high.
That is, if it weren’t for the strong praise he received from around the NFL. Ward placed inside the top-10 of Jeremy Fowler of ESPN’s cornerback rankings based on a poll of executives, scouts, and coaches around the NFL.
Denzel Ward is a top-10 CB in NFL despite his advanced age
“7. Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns. Highest ranking: 2. | Lowest ranking: Unranked,” Fowler writes. “Ward falls to No. 7 but easily could have been No. 4.”
The polled NFL scouts, executives, and coaches ranked Ward as the seventh-best cornerback in the NFL right now.
All of his contemporaries inside the top-10 of this ESPN poll are all 26 years old or younger. Ward, at 29 years old, is easily the oldest CB on this list.
If there was any doubt about Ward’s talent, this top-10 ranking should prove how elite he actually is. He only had one interception in 15 games, the first time he’s had fewer than two picks in a season. But, he’s still one of the best in the NFL.
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Ward is an elite cornerback and ranked inside the top-10 on this poll from ESPN. But, he might’ve been able to climb even higher than No. 7 if not for one reason: he plays on the Browns.
As one NFL personnel evaluator said, “If Ward played in Kansas City or New England, he’d be the talk of the NFL. He doesn’t get the credit he should.”
The five-time Pro Bowler for the Browns is underrated and one of the better corners in the league. Ward is ranked as the seventh-best CB in the NFL, and he could be even higher ranked if his team were making playoff runs every year.
Not that a trade is likely, but if he were dealt, the Browns would surely be able to land a massive return based on this ESPN poll having him as a top-10 CB in the NFL.
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