The Cleveland Browns are resetting under an entirely new coaching staff and some long-time staples of the roster could be in danger because of it.
One such player is five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, who will turn 29 years old ahead of next season and still has two years remaining on his $100.5 million contract.
“Ward may not be as elite as he once was but is still a solid corner with years left to give. The problem is the money,” Matt Okada of NFL.com wrote Tuesday, February 17. “Ward carries a $32.9 million cap hit in 2026, highest on the team outside of Deshaun Watson, and the Browns could save $20 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut.”
“Given what he's meant to the team for the better part of a decade, this would be a more surprising cut, but it also might make sense as Cleveland looks to the future under new head coach Todd Monken,” Okada continued.
Okada’s description of Ward’s decline is perhaps overstated, as the cornerback has been a Pro Bowler in each of the last three seasons and four of the past five campaigns. Ward does have a long history of concussion issues and has never played a full regular-season slate, but he’s also never missed more than four games in any single year.
Ward put up 39 tackles, including two tackles for loss, nine pass breakups and an interception in 2025. He led the league with 19 passes defensed in 2024. His advanced metrics weren’t as solid this season, as Ward allowed a collective passer rating of 89.7 to opposing quarterbacks and surrendered 32 receptions on passes thrown his way, per Pro Football Focus.
Still, Ward remains a leader on what was the No. 4-ranked defense in the NFL last season — a unit upon which Monken will have to rely as he attempts to build back the offense from essentially the ground up, with running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. arguably the only two long-term pieces currently in place.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.