Denzel Ward All-Pro in 2021?

Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus created a list of players that could have their first All-Pro season in 2021 and included Cleveland Browns corner Denzel Ward. Examining why.

The combination of an increase in talent and staying healthy along with continued individual development could see Denzel Ward have a career year in 2021. Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus included Ward in a group of players that he believes could be named All-Pro for the first time in their career.

"The 51.4% completion rate that Ward has allowed into his coverage since 2018 ranks second among cornerbacks with at least 100 targets over that three-year stretch, trailing only

Stephon Gilmore

. Ward’s dominance in single coverage (96th percentile grade since 2018) has been particularly noteworthy. He doesn’t often get recognized as one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL, but his play has warranted consideration in that conversation.

The Browns invested heavily in their defense this offseason, and the return from injury for

Grant Delpit

and

Greedy Williams

raises the talent level around Ward entering next season, potentially putting him in line for a career year as the top cornerback on one of the AFC’s best teams." - Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus

Linsey cites Ward's effectiveness in man coverage as well as the improvements the Browns have made on defense, which should only benefit an already strong performer.

Both are great points and still may not go quite far enough in explaining just how much Ward could stand to benefit.

Ward has always been great in man coverage dating back to his time at Ohio State. The issue the Browns have faced particularly in 2020 was the inability to allow him to play in man coverage due to a lack of personnel.

The Browns were forced to play a significant amount of zone and particularly quarters as the season played out last season. On some level, whether a team is playing Cover-3 or quarters like the Browns do, it boils down to man at some point.

It's a big difference between tight man and focusing preparations potentially on one receiver the other team is bringing to the matchup as opposed to being largely focused on a side almost always having to play off initially.

Predictability also hurt Ward as well as the defensive coverage overall. The lack of talent in the secondary allowed opponents to know what few options the Browns had to play in coverage, enabling them to prepare and exploit it. This year, the Browns have more arrows in their quiver in terms of defensive calls and adjustments, which could provide additional uncertainty for opposing offenses.

Under defensive coordinator Joe Woods entering his second season and now having added John Johnson III at safety, Troy Hill in the slot and Greg Newsome at corner through the draft, the Browns should feel far more empowered to play more true man coverage. Since that's an area where Ward already excels, it allows the Browns to maximize him.

Additionally, the efforts the Browns have made to get faster on their defensive front and bring in more options to attack the quarterback should also help Ward. So often in 2020, even when Myles Garrett was able to beat his man, the quarterback had the ball out before he could get there. With better coverage, he should generate more pressure.

The flip side is also true. As Garrett is able to get more pressure and the Browns have players like Jadeveon Clowney, Malik Jackson, Takkarist McKinley and a weapon like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah potentially attacking on the blitz, that should force quarterbacks to make poorer decision and potentially throw more passes into coverage, which should only help the coverage and specifically Ward look more impactful.

Between the return of Andrew Billings from opting out in 2020 and more focused personnel on being able to adjust to stop the run, putting opponents in more obvious passing situations would certainly benefit Ward.

In essence, beyond what Ward does to improve his game individually, everything the  Browns have done has improved the team in a way that should also benefit Ward. If he can avoid missing games, that could propel him to a monster season.

That's part of the calculus the Browns are likely taking in talking about a potential contract extension with Ward. They may have concerns with the fact he's basically missed a month per season, but they don't want to wait, see him have an All-Pro season and then pay an added premium for the additional success.

The Browns want to lock Ward up and have the defense they've constructed help propel him to stardom, reaching the potential he had when he was selected fourth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Should Ward be unable to get there, it won't be due to the organization's lack of efforts to build around him.

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