3 Cleveland Browns that need to step up in October

Cleveland Browns player who needs to step up No. 1: Denzel Ward

Denzel Ward is a tricky one this season. He hasn’t played badly by any means, but it does appear that teams have become unafraid to go after him. In fact, it seems like Greg Newsome, Greedy Williams, and Troy Hill have become more threatening to opposing quarterbacks than Ward.

Before you blow up on me, remember again that I’m not saying Ward is playing poorly at all. There have been a few deep balls he has been beaten on, but truthfully most of those throws have been perfect. This league has turned into one that will always allow a good offense to beat a good defense.

I want to see rookie year Ward in the next four games, and I want to see him solidify his monster extension that he’s looking to receive in the next 12 months.

That includes covering Mike Williams, DeAndre Hopkins, Cortland Sutton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Wow, when you see that list, you realize just how big of a challenge he has ahead of him.

If he can hold each of these guys under 100 yards receiving and not give up any more than two touchdowns in the next four weeks, let’s call this stint extremely successful for Ward.

Ward did show up on the injury report on Wednesday with a neck injury, let’s hope that isn’t a sign of what’s to come. Ward has struggled to stay on the field since his rookie year, which makes this a reason for concern.