Earlier this offseason, the Cleveland Browns made Denzel Ward one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL. Only the Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon ($32 million) is making more than Ward in average annual value.
While contracts aren't the only way to measure a player's greatness, it's hard to argue that Ward is one of the top shutdown cornerbacks in today's game. By every objective and subjective measure, he's a true star in the league.
That's why it was so egregious to see ESPN's panel of experts snub Ward from their Top-100 players projection for the 2026 season.
Browns stars like Denzel Ward are still paying the price for the franchise's national perception
Ward is clearly a victim of circumstance. He's paying the price of playing for an ever-struggling franchise that most national pundits don't think much of. That only proves what most Browns fans already suspect: The national media doesn't bother watching the Browns, at least not as closely as the NFL's top contenders.
It would be impossible to tell anyone with a straight face that Denzel Ward isn't a top-100 player in football. There's just no way to objectively justify not picking a player with 18 career interceptions and a whopping 74 pass deflections in eight years in the league.
That's not to mention Ward's five Pro Bowl nods — including his latest in 2025.
Jaycee Horn, Kamari Lassiter, Cooper DeJean, Sauce Gardner, Trent McDuffie, Christian Gonzalez, Quinyon Mitchell, Devon Witherspoon, Derek Stingley Jr., and Pat Surtain II were all cornerbacks who made the cut. Some of them we can understand, but others simply don't make sense when compared directly to Ward.
ESPN may be projecting some decline from Ward, who turned 29 in April, but it's not like he's entering the twilight of his career. The Browns' defense looks aggressive and ready to attack with Mike Rutenberg calling the shots, and there's no one better at disrupting the catch point than Ward.
Once again, Browns stars get punished for staying loyal to the organization. It's not the first time we've seen a great player, clearly one of the best at his craft, not taken seriously because of the team he plays for. But what if he had been traded like Myles Garrett? How different would the narrative be?
Even without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the Browns have more than enough talent to have one of the best defenses in football — and Ward is one of the main reasons. He's heard all the noise, kept all the receipts, and should be ready to silence the doubters with an All-Pro-caliber campaign in 2026.
How quickly they forget.
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