Cleveland Browns: Denzel Ward was the defense’s missing puzzle piece

Ever since Sashi Brown took over in early 2016, the Cleveland Browns have put an emphasis on defensive talent. Two years later, the Browns drafted cornerback Denzel Ward at No. 4 overall and just like that, their defensive unit finally came together.

No matter how you feel about Ohio State University football, their ability to produce stud defensive talent is second to none. Just in the past three years, the Buckeyes have packaged up Joey Bosa, Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley, and Denzel Ward in a nice little bow to go and wreck NFL offenses.

Those five are only the first round picks, and with Nick Bosa currently donning the scarlet and grey, it seems likely that OSU has created yet another top-three defensive draft pick.

For the Cleveland Browns the most important out of those “Big Five” is Ward. The fourth-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Ward was the direct product of a 2017 draft night trade that allowed the Houston Texans to draft quarterback Deshaun Watson.

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Watson lit up the league his rookie year but tore his ACL before his likely Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign was complete. This year, Watson is completing under 60% of his passes, and looks nowhere near as electric as he was as a rookie.

Whether Sashi Brown actually ended up winning this trade remains to be seen, but the prospect the Browns got in return seems to be the final piece of their studly defensive unit in 2018.

Ward, by my football hypothesis, was the final gear in the defensive machine that now resides in Cleveland. Ever since 2014 (if you count linebacker Christian Kirksey), the Cleveland Browns have been slowly, yet consistently accumulating young defensive talent.

Starting with Kirksey in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft and culminating in 2017’s No. 1 overall pick, Myles Garrett, the Browns added talent every year, but it never clicked. Then in walked current Browns general manager John Dorsey.

Dorsey made a whirlwind of roster moves during his first few months as Cleveland’s chief decision-maker, adding E.J. Gaines, Damarious Randall, and a few other defensive players. Dorsey transformed the roster, turning over almost 60 oercent of the roster and adding 31 fresh faces in orange and brown. He drafted Ward in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and the rookie has changed the entire look of Cleveland’s defense.

The Browns now lead the league in turnovers with 11, and Ward leads the way with two interceptions and a forced fumble. Seemingly overnight, the Cleveland Browns find themselves with one of the league’s premier defenses.

They forced six turnovers out of Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, and held the New Orleans Saints’ potent offense to just 275 total yards. And the most impressive part? This defense isn’t even in its prime yet.

Garrett, the crown jewel of Cleveland’s budding defensive lineup, is only 22 years old. Ward is 21, and newly-drafted linebacker Genard Avery is 23. The only players on Cleveland’s starting defense that are even close to scratching their athletic prime are Kirksey and Randall, both of whom are just 26. This defense is growing up together, and if they look this good, at such a young age, their final form has tremendous potential.

Ward coming into this defense gives a massive amount of help to the Browns’ defensive scheme. Ward’s shut-down abilities allow the Browns’ front seven to be more aggressive, which is really the name of Gregg Williams’s defensive game.

Ward is a young stud, and has a serious shot at Defensive Rookie of the Year this season. He is the Browns’ missing puzzle piece on defense, and the deadbolt on the NFL’s newest, youngest lock-down defense.