CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Denzel Ward was elated to be drafted by the hometown Browns in 2018.
He hopes he won’t have to leave either.
“In a perfect world I definitely would want to be a Brown for my entire career,” Ward said Tuesday prior to the team’s first minicamp practice. “I’m from Cleveland, a team that drafted me, a team that believed in me coming out of college and I take a lot of pride in respecting that. I just want to give my all to this team so it’s definitely a place I want to be and I enjoy being a Cleveland Brown and giving them everything I’ve got.”
Ward confirmed Tuesday that his agent has already had discussions with the team about extending his rookie contract.
Cleveland selected Ward, a Nordonia High School alum, out of Ohio State fourth overall, behind Baker Mayfield, who was taken No. 1 overall.
Both players had the fifth-year options on their contracts picked up in the spring but are eligible for contract extensions this offseason.
“It’s not a distraction to me,” Ward said. “I’m [going to] let my agent take care of that. I’m focused on playing ball. I’m here on the Cleveland Browns. I’m just glad to be back in the building here at minicamp with all the guys ready to play so I’ll focus on playing football and not worry about anything else.”
Ward made the Pro Bowl his rookie year but has battled various injuries since being drafted and he’s yet to play a full 16-game season. However, when healthy, Ward is among the elite corners in the NFL.