Top 10 Cleveland Browns of 2022: Where does Nick Chubb land?
By John Suchan
![Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) rushes for a touchdown ahead of Houston Texans outside linebacker Christian Kirksey (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 18](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-2F2018-2F08-2F16788479-850x560-163c4c584e7e633547c641513767385c1e588b1bb3fba00dc4782dfab8a70f56.jpg "Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) rushes for a touchdown ahead of Houston Texans outside linebacker Christian Kirksey (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 18")
. Denzel Ward. 5. player. 53. .
No. 5 Denzel Ward, CB
The second 2018 first-round pick for Cleveland was Denzel Ward and he’s had a nice career so far. He came from Ohio State where he was one of the best cornerbacks in the game and he’s continued that trend while in Cleveland — in fact, he even just signed a new $100 million contract. He makes up a great tandem now with Greg Newsome II, who we discussed earlier.
Ward is being acknowledged for his excellent play so far and has several different sources giving him his due respect. CBS Sports ranked him as the sixth-best cornerback and both Pro Football Talk and Athlon Sports have him ranked at No. 8 going into the season.
Beyond the complimentary rankings, the eye test and seeing how he affects games on the field is very obvious. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in one-on-one competition. He has speed and a knack to find the ball. If he gets beat on a play he can get back and knock down the pass.
He had the play of the year on defense in 2021, against the Cincinnati Bengals. After Cincy moved down the field with ease, Ward was able to cut in front of a pass thrown by Joe Burrow and scamper 99 yards in the other direction for the touchdown. It led his team to gather momentum and cruise to the win down in Cincinnati.
He’s only 24 years old and now with the five-year contract extension, he’ll be here for a long time helping the Browns win Super Bowls.