Following the seismic Myles Garrett trade, Denzel Ward's future is also in doubt ahead of the 2026 season. There are tangible reasons why retaining Ward is the right move for the Cleveland Browns.
In the aftermath of the Myles Garrett trade, nobody with more than two years of experience on the Cleveland Browns roster feels safe.
That move was the ultimate testament to the business side of the NFL. If this generational freak, bound for the Hall of Fame, can be traded, well, anyone can.
So as training camp fast approaches, it's no surprise that rumors have continued to swirl about star cornerback Denzel Ward's future with the franchise, as well. With Garrett gone, he's now the longest-tenured member of the team and could fetch a pretty penny in a potential trade as one of the top corners in the league.
There are certainly reasons why trading Ward, like Garrett, makes some sense for Cleveland. For a team leaning into a young roster, adding more draft capital, particularly for 2027, wouldn't hurt.
In retrospect, though, the Browns actually can't afford to lose Ward.
The reasons start on the field, where Ward's impact is undeniable. He's a shutdown corner that teams have to account for when they draw up their offensive game plans. If Cleveland has any hope of this defense remaining one of the league's best units and any hope of being even competitive in 2026, they need Ward.
There's also the fact that he's one of maybe two players keeping the Browns from needing to sound the alarms on their cornerback situation. Together, he and Tyson Campbell have that room feeling like a strength, but if you take Ward out of the equation, there's a case to be made it's the weakest position group on the entire roster (excluding quarterback).
Names like Myles Harden, Damarri Mathis, Myles Bryant, Tre Avery, D'Angelo Ross, Michael Coats Jr., Nate Evans and Tyron Herring fill out the depth chart behind Ward and Campbell leading into camp. It's a collection of players that lack tangible NFL experience or who have primarily played special teams in the pros.
Things get pretty dire if you remove Ward or Campbell from the roster. Unless, of course, that's the point.
Ultimately, if the Browns goal is truly to tank the 2026 season and set themselves up to have all sorts of options at the top of the draft order next year, then trading Ward makes all the sense in the world.
As things stand right now, though, Andrew Berry and company have actually done a pretty of "tanking" without being obvious about. Getting Verse back in the Garrett deal is an example of that. Sure, they lost the best pass rusher in the game, but they added a near top-10 edge rusher to take his place. That's more retooling, than tanking.
Even with Ward, the Browns boast one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. The youth and general lack of experience are likely to come with plenty of growing pains. Cleveland doesn't need to trade Ward to lose a lot of games.
This young squad is also looking to build a new culture in Berea. New head coach Todd Monken will be the biggest tone setter for that and the players got their first glimpse of his expectations this spring.
However, a coach can't establish a culture alone. Having veteran players bought in , who can then hold their teammates accountable and spread his messaging, is critically important.
Ward can absolutely be a tone setter for a rebuilding franchise. There's plenty of value in retaining the five-time Pro Bowler without spoiling whatever dreams the Browns may be chasing in 2027.
