Browns Receive Surprising News on Denzel Ward's Trade Value

The Cleveland Browns have landed some rather surprising news on the trade value of star cornerback Denzel Ward.

Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) watches practice from the sideline during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have some very intriguing trade candidates on their roster heading into the 2025 NFL season, and perhaps the most interesting at all is cornerback Denzel Ward.

Now, we should immediately preface this by saying that Martin Emerson Jr.'s season-ending Achilles injury eliminates any chance of Ward being dealt before Week 1, but there is always the chance that the four-time Pro Bowler could be traded midseason.

But how much could the Browns expect to get in return for Ward?

ESPN's Bill Barnwell doesn't think Cleveland would get a very satisfying return, comparing Ward to a couple of other star cornerbacks in that regard.

"Denzel Ward, 28, is still one of the league's top cornerbacks, but teams just do not want to send significant draft capital for even great corners after they've signed veteran extensions, with Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey both failing to land even a second-round pick for their teams when they were traded around this same age," Barnwell wrote.

Ward signed a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension with Cleveland back in April 2022. Considering where the cornerback market is now, that is actually one heck of a bargain for the former first-round pick, but Barnwell's point is that teams typically like to pay corners themselves rather than acquiring them after they have already been extended.

Last season, Ward racked up 49 tackles, a couple of interceptions and 19 passes defended, the latter of which led the NFL. He did, however, suffer his sixth concussion in 2024, which could also scare teams away from a potential trade.

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