It can’t be easy for those remaining in the Cleveland Browns facility to process not having Myles Garrett around. The all-time single-season sack record holder is now a Los Angeles Ram and Jared Verse will have every chance to be this team’s next star pass rusher, but as talented as he is, it’s going to take some time getting used to him lining up in Garrett’s place.
With Garrett gone, cornerback Denzel Ward is now the elder statesman on defense as he heads into his ninth year in Cleveland. Rumors have swirled about him potentially being on the move as well given his absence from the team over the past month or so, but he is back in town and has reiterated he isn’t going anywhere.
Ward spoke with the media shortly after joining the team and had a lot to say about the Garrett trade. Aside from noting that he has already reached out to Verse to make him feel at home, he made light of the trade and thought it was crazy yet simply part of the business.
“Crazy trade. Definitely a crazy trade. I believe that you’re either with us or against us, and as you can see, he’s not with us. That’s the nature of this game. That’s the nature of football,” said Ward.
Ward also called Garrett a great friend and teammate, so his media session wasn’t all as light and dismissive as this clip would suggest. He knows as well as anybody how impactful Garrett was for this defense, and Verse has massive shoes to fill.
Insiders initially shut down all the trade rumors surrounding Ward over the past week, and in recent days, general manager Andrew Berry did the same. The Browns may not compete for a Super Bowl this season, but trading the leader of the front seven and the leader of the secondary would send the wrong message to the locker room and the fans.
This team needs Ward now more than ever. It will be a treat to see what he can do under Mike Rutenberg’s new defense and hopefully he can continue being the great leader he has been over the years to empower some of his other younger teammates to help fill the void left behind by such a massive loss.
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