Denzel Ward has spent the better part of a decade being one of the most underappreciated players at his position in the entire league, and the latest acknowledgment of his standing in the NFL comes from an unlikely but meaningful source. The Madden 27 ratings have been rolling out ahead of the 2026 season, and Ward emerged as the highest-rated player on the entire Cleveland Browns roster, a distinction that reflects just how consistently elite he has been throughout his career regardless of the team around him.
Ward was given a 93 overall rating.
“Denzel Ward is the highest rated Cleveland Brown in Madden 27 with a 93 overall rating. Only CBs listed ahead of him: Christian Gonzalez at 98, Patrick Surtain II at 97, Trent McDuffie at 94. Recognition for the Warden,” SleeperBrowns wrote.
Denzel Ward is the highest rated Cleveland Brown in Madden 27 with a 93 overall rating 🔥
Only CBs listed ahead of him: Christian Gonzalez (98), Patrick Surtain II (97), Trent McDuffie (94)
Recognition for the Warden 🔒💪🎮
(@MUTLeaksXXVII)#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/Fo9RtnN9Or
— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) July 12, 2026
A 93 overall rating places Ward in genuinely elite company at his position. The 3 cornerbacks rated above him, Gonzalez, Surtain, and McDuffie, represent the current consensus top tier at the position around the league, and Ward sitting just 1 point behind McDuffie for the 4th spot among all cornerbacks in Madden 27 is a recognition of sustained excellence that casual fans outside of Cleveland have too often overlooked.
The career numbers support the rating fully. Ward has accumulated 18 interceptions, 223 interception return yards, and 293 combined tackles across 110 games in a Browns uniform, earning 5 Pro Bowl selections along the way. Those numbers were produced while consistently covering the opposing team’s best receiver in a scheme that has not always provided the kind of complementary talent around him that elite cornerbacks typically benefit from.
After the Browns traded Myles Garrett this offseason, Ward has been the subject of trade rumors.
Whether Ward remains a Brown through the end of the season or not, the Madden rating serves as one more reminder that Cleveland has had one of the best cornerbacks in football wearing orange and brown for the better part of a decade. That kind of sustained excellence rarely gets the recognition it deserves while it is happening.
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