The Myles Garrett trade raised one obvious question: Will the Cleveland Browns trade Denzel Ward?
He was the team's second-most valuable trade asset, and there was expected to be no shortage of suitors for his services.
Ward went on the record to reaffirm his commitment to the organization, and the Browns ultimately did right by him. They gave him a two-year, $62.2 million contract extension to keep him in Northeast Ohio through his prime years.
While that deal made perfect sense, ESPN analyst Seth Walder believes the Browns committed an unforced error, doubting he'll be able to live up to his lofty paycheck as he grows older.
"Ward is 29 years old and, critically, had two years left on his contract (at a reasonable $20.25 million per year). I would not have been in a rush to add more money to secure his rights in his age-31 and age-32 seasons," Walder wrote. "Ward's age and the team's contractual control make this deal an unforced error."
Denzel Ward is making his contract extension look like a smart investment
Walder's point is fair enough, as not many players get better once they turn 30. Ward is coming off a down year by his standards.
He's been nearly impossible to beat in training camp when quarterbacks have challenged him, though, and he's looking faster, stronger, and hungrier than ever.
Even a diminished version of Denzel Ward is much better than the average NFL cornerback. Mike Rutenberg's secondary is full of playmakers, and it looks like this team will be much more aggressive when it comes to going after the football. Ward, of course, will be paramount to that.
One of the few times Denzel Ward has been targeted in camp. He blankets the Deshaun Watson pass to Jerry Jeudy. pic.twitter.com/xFaxbOnLB1
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 7, 2026
Ward is perhaps the best cornerback in the league in terms of shadowing opposing receivers and disrupting the catch point. He's not much of a ball-hawk, but he's already made big plays in practice, and while it's just training camp, it looks as though he's emphasized forcing more takeaways.
Ward lives and breathes Cleveland Browns football. He's already agreed to restructure his deal in the past, and he'll likely take one for the team again if they need him to rework his steep contract extension at some point in the future. Also, the Browns' books will finally be much healthier once Deshaun Watson's contract is finally in the rearview mirror.
The Browns took a leap of faith on a veteran leader who has led by example and is undeniably one of the top players at his position. That's a risk worth taking every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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