The Cleveland Browns’ surprising start to the season certainly means a lot to the fan base, the city, and the team. But it likely means so much more to the players who have been around for a while and have gone through so many ups and downs, with the bad outweighing the good.
There were times this summer when it didn’t look like veteran cornerback Denzel Ward would be around to enjoy this. Trade rumors involving him were growing, and it was thought that, based on his age, he did not match up with Cleveland’s projected timeline for success.
Instead, Ward was given a two-year contract extension, and it has paid off for both him and the Browns in a big way. Through the first four games of the season, the 29-year-old is playing some of the best football of his career, which includes a key interception in Cleveland’s 27-24 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
In addition, host Kay Adams is turning heads with her take on Ward, saying the five-time Pro Bowl selection must be included when talking about the top cornerbacks in the league right now.
“The one player that I’m so excited for on the Browns is Denzel Ward. He is All-Pro easy to root for. I’m really happy for him. That’s my take. He’s great. I think if he wasn’t on the Browns, he’d be given more love. He’s just as good and meaningful to the Browns as Joe Thomas was to the Browns. Joe Thomas does get his love. For some reason, Denzel Ward doesn’t. I don’t know the math on that, but this is a consistent piece. It’s hard to do. This is a shutdown corner. He deserves to be in the who’s the best corner in the league conversation, and he’s not. We do not mention him and [Patrick Surtain] and [Christian Gonzalez]. We don’t even get him brought up in a [Derek] Stingley conversations of it all. But shouldn’t he be?” Adams said.
Denzel Ward is this generation's Joe Thomas for the Browns.
He NEEDS to be in the Top-Cornerback discussion 😤@denzelward | @Browns | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/aiwyK3wC0W
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 2, 2026
According to Pro Football Focus, Ward has earned an 89.5 overall grade and a 90.4 pass coverage grade this season, which ranks second among 97 qualified cornerbacks. He has allowed a 75.1 passer rating when targeted.
His second-quarter interception of Aaron Rodgers on Thursday completely changed the momentum of that game. It also extended Ward’s streak of having at least one interception in every year of his nine-year NFL career.
Cleveland had allowed a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive on Pittsburgh’s opening possession, and the Steelers were moving the ball again before Ward stepped up. From there, the Browns scored 21 unanswered points.
Ward was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Browns after playing at Ohio State, and he has been widely praised for his loyalty to the organization, so it is great to see him contributing to some good times for the team so far this season.
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