If there's a player other than Myles Garrett who deserves good news coming his way about the Cleveland Browns, it's cornerback Denzel Ward. The 2024 league leader in passes defended and all-around best cornerback on the team is itching for a winning squad around him, and he's been pretty involved in voicing his thoughts on the Browns' needs this offseason.
The biggest need, according to Ward himself prior to the draft, is at quarterback. He said finding a young long-term solution at the position to provide stability to the entire team would be key to the Browns getting back to their winning ways, but added that it was no knock on Deshaun Watson's ability to bounce back and provide said stability.
Well, Cleveland was clearly listening when Ward voiced that opinion. They went out and drafted not one, but two quarterbacks between Day 2 and 3 of the draft, landing Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon and Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado.
Gabriel and Sanders will now both compete for the starting job in Cleveland, but Sanders is obviously the splashy pick. He was never expected to be available in the 5th round, so it makes sense that the Browns lept at the opportunity to get such a high-value pick with such a late selection. And, the pick immediately won over Ward, who shared a perfect reaction to social media.
Ward pens perfect reaction to Sanders pick
Sanders' typical tag line is "be legendary," and it's something he - for better or for worse - pretty constantly says or posts to social media. It's all a part of the branding that comes with the Sanders name. So of course, Ward took advantage of that, and wrote the perfect message to Sanders after he was taken by Cleveland.
@ShedeurSanders Time to Be Legendary! Let’s do it!🔥
— Denzel Ward (@denzelward) April 26, 2025
Ward is clearly hyped about the pick, and he should be. Again, Sanders' slip up seemed more to do with poor interviews he gave in the pre-draft process than anything regarding his actual play. But, it seemed like he and the rest of Colorado got along well with the Browns' front office and coaching staff who attended Colorado's pro day, so it's not surprising the Browns were the team to end his slide.
Added drama is sure to come to Cleveland as a result of this pick. Hopefully, Sanders can provide more stability than rocking of boats to an already tumultuous quarterback competition brewing in Berea.