Cleveland Browns mid-season awards: MVP, best coach, top players

Defensive MVP: Denzel Ward

While I handed mid-season MVP to Myles Garrett, I could have also easily handed defensive MVP to Garrett as well. But, that would not have been fun, and cornerback Denzel Ward is not talked about enough.

The Browns are going to have to pay Ward good money if they want him to stick around longer than his rookie deal. Ward is a very good No. 1 cornerback, and is probably the most underrated Browns player on the 53-man roster.

Ward has very high grades all across the board, has 27 solo tackles, one interception, and has 11 passes defended. Not only does he have solid numbers, but he has been on the field a lot this season. With Ward being injured a concerning amount in his rookie year, he has played through a few injuries this season, a great thing to see.

They said Ward needed to work on how he tackled, he did. They said Ward needed to be more durable, he has been (so far). They said Ward needed to add a bit of weight and bulk up, he did. It has been clear that Ward went to work in the offseason and improved in the areas he needed to, with his play on the field showing just that. The Browns have a lot of decisions to make with rookie contracts expiring soon, and Ward is one they shouldn’t think twice about.