Cleveland Browns: 4 players who need to have more production
By Greg Newland
![Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper runs for yardage after a first quarter catch against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 in Cleveland, at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won the game 17-14. [Phil Masturzo/ Beacon Journal]Browns7](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F17000957-850x560-b4b0354978e3ef2871598237607694e210a3f626723957942dba453c6d5f1cc4.jpg "Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper runs for yardage after a first quarter catch against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 in Cleveland, at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won the game 17-14. [Phil Masturzo/ Beacon Journal]Browns7")
No. 3 – Denzel Ward, CB
What’s crazy about Denzel Ward this year, is he has only missed a substantial amount of snaps in one game, and he has started every game thus far. But man, it feels like he leaves every single game at least once with an injury.
Ward once again left late in the Denver game last Thursday night and it appeared somewhat serious. He left grabbing his left hamstring and was ruled out of the game within about five minutes of exiting. It’s tough to say, but I certainly don’t see Ward being able to play this week against the Steelers.
With Ward, it’s not just about the availability this season, he has also given up some big plays and committed a ton of penalties. After seeing such tight coverage the first two years from Ward, it seems like he has lost a step or two the last two seasons. Is he constantly afraid of getting injured?
Or have receivers and quarterbacks learned his flaws which make him an easier target.
The Browns will have Ward locked up for his fifth-year option in 2022, but then the time will come to decide if he is worth the big money. Those fifth years are fully guaranteed, so moving on from Ward any before 2023 won’t make sense, but Andrew Berry should certainly think long and hard about giving Ward a huge payday.
I was a huge fan of Ward early on but have slowly lost faith and don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze at this point. I think paying Ward top corner money could put your defense in a hole for the life of that contract.