One of the most annoying aspects about preseason minicamps is the lack of injury reports.
Teams are not required to share information even when their $100 million cornerback leaves practice early.
Cleveland Browns fans could only speculate what happened to Denzel Ward’s foot or how serious it was.
And when he was spotted still wearing a walking boot a week later, some might have feared the worst.
Source confirms that #Browns Denzel Ward's MRI revealed "nothing too serious" after he walked off the field with trainers during the last day of minicamp at FirstEnergy Stadium yesterday, pointing at his foot/ankle. I'm told he's not expected to miss much time, if any.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) June 17, 2022
But Ward was all smiles at an Akron youth football camp when the Beacon-Journal’s Nate Ulrich asked about it.
“Yeah, I’ll be good,” said Ward when asked about next month’s training camp.
His self-assessment is supported by other reports out of Berea.
An MRI and examination are said to reveal no serious damage to the cornerback’s achy foot.
And Ward reported nothing more than a bit of soreness to reporters on hand in Akron.
Ward Answers Vital Questions
Ward’s sore hoof left former NFL and Ohio State player Braxton Miller to do the heavy lifting on the field.
But the pair spent time signing autographs together before Ward sat down for a Q & A session with attendees.
He tried to keep questions focused on the NextGen Camps event and playing defense.
But the kids peppered him on Browns topics, some more football-technical than others, as reported by Nate Ulrich.
Denzel Ward is wearing a walking boot on his injured left foot, but says “I'll be good” for #Browns training camp.
Ward couldn’t do on-field work with youth football campers Thursday in Akron, but he conducted a Q&A with them. Some of the kids grilled him https://t.co/YhubBfkxRr
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) June 24, 2022
Ward appealed to Progressive Insurance for a spot on any future “At Home” commercial spots.
He promised some NFL-caliber jibbing directed at Joe Burrows after his awkward missed tackle on Ward’s pick-6.
And he adeptly avoided any controversy under questioning about Mayfield and Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland’s popular cornerback also confirmed he doesn’t like Steelers wide receivers or quarterbacks in general.
About That Foot…
There are still no official reports to share about the damage to Ward’s foot.
Any report forthcoming probably won’t appear before the opening of training camp.
With 26 bones and over 100 ligaments, tendons, and muscles in each foot, there is a lot to worry about.
But the timing of Ward’s injury is as good as it can be, with over a month to rest before any football activity.
#Browns training camp dates and info 2022: July 30th is the first of 11 practices free and open to the public https://t.co/s3YQHh36yk
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 16, 2022
It is worth noting that Ward tempered his “I’ll be good” statement with a less-promising follow-up.
When asked specifically about being ready for the start of camp on July 27th, Ward said,
“We’ll see.”
Fans can expect Ward will head to the trainers’ room for a re-evaluation before he joins the practice sessions.
Given Ward’s injury reputation, some concern will linger until we see him back on the field.
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