The Cleveland Browns were hoping to shock the world and become a potential playoff contender this season. However, the season started off as most had expected with the Browns holding a 1-3 record through four weeks.
Actually, the win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 was not expected at all. It was a bright spot in what has been another disappointing start for Cleveland.
Joe Flacco has been replaced as the team’s starting quarterback entering Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. Dillon Gabriel, the team’s rookie third-round pick, will be under center. That alone has stirred up some excitement within the Browns’ fan base.
With that being said, it’s looking like a real possibility that Cleveland could become a seller ahead of the NFL trade deadline once again this year.
Should the Browns decide to show interest in selling off some talent for more draft capital, there are a few players who come to mind as possible trade candidates. One of them is star cornerback Denzel Ward.
Over the last couple of years, Ward has been talked about a lot around the trade deadline. While Cleveland has opted to keep him around in past years, the rumors will pick up again this year. Ward could net the Browns a good amount of draft capital.
Keeping that in mind, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated has suggested a trade that would send Ward out of Cleveland.
In a new column, he suggested Ward being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. Adding another second-round pick would have to be attractive for a Browns team that already has two first-round picks. But, would a second-round pick be worth giving up one of the top cover cornerbacks in the NFL?
“The Seahawks have a talented defense, but they could use another reliable cornerback. Riq Woolen has struggled to play as well as he did in his rookie season in 2022 and has given up chunk plays at crucial times this year,” Verderame wrote. “Additionally, with Ward in Seattle, it would allow coach Mike Macdonald to move around Devon Witherspoon between inside and outside cornerback positions. The 28-year-old Ward is a four-time Pro Bowler with 18 career interceptions.”
So far this season with the Browns, Ward has played in all four games. He has totaled 10 tackles to go along with an interception and three defended passes. Last season, he ended up with 49 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, and 19 defended passes in 16 games.
Being able to head into the 2026 NFL Draft with two first-round picks and two second-round picks would be an attractive situation for Cleveland. Whether or not they would part with Ward to have those assets remains to be seen.
Expect to continue hearing a lot of rumors swirling around the Browns as the trade deadline draws closer. Once again, he’ll be a name worth monitoring closely in the coming weeks.
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