While the Cleveland Browns’ offense was an eyesore in 2024, their defense held up its end of the bargain as they did well to keep the team in games.
The Browns’ defense is anchored by Myles Garrett up front, but he’s got plenty of help behind him in the middle of the field and in the secondary.
While Garrett wreaks havoc up front, players like Denzel Ward can be seen on the backend patrolling the secondary and making it tough to find open receivers downfield.
Having a true shutdown corner like Ward allows Cleveland to mix up its coverages and give them someone to keep up with the high-end receivers around the league.
The AFC North is home to some of the best wideouts in the NFL, including Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase who most consider to be the best at his position.
In an appearance on The Sitdown with Malik Wright, Chase revealed Ward is the most difficult cornerback he has to go up against and explained why.
“That’s easy. Denzel [Ward],” Chase answered when asked about who the toughest cornerback he’s ever played against. “Twice a year. It’s one-on-one majority of the time. He’s got great feet. Leveraging those splits. He’s just one of the best I like playing.”
Ward clearly deserves the respect he gets from players like Chase as he’s truly one of the best at staying with players and using his size, leverage and instincts to break up passes and ruin plays.
Garrett and Ward make for one of the stingiest one-two punches in the league and it’ll be fun to see Ward and Chase go at it during the regular season.
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